


The Sign Says Do Not Tap the Glass

by failte



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Attempted Murder, Blood, Canon Era, Hospitals, M/M, Minor Character Death, Modern Era, Not Reincarnation, Not time travel (?? maybe time travel), Prank Wars, Threats of Violence, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-08 11:35:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 24,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21475354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/failte/pseuds/failte
Summary: Watch what happens when Jack shows David the world.
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly
Comments: 12
Kudos: 30
Collections: I love these





	1. Chapter 1

The year was 1821 and it was only a small village. David and his family had moved west before David was born with a few other families, starting a new life. America was expanding and it was time. They set up their own little village, the mayor Joseph Pulitzer named it Santa Fe. Life was quiet but that was okay for most of the families. Starting new was hard but everyone who was physically capable put in hard work. They all said it was respectable, rewarding. David agreed but life was small and it never felt like enough for him.

  
They lived in cabins, smaller than their family was. David shared a room with his little brother, Les. They didn’t mind, the two were as close as they could be. Les looked up to David, he was an idol, a person that Les wanted to grow up to be like. The two of them would stay up late into the night, whispering over a candle until their eyes wouldn’t stay open anymore.

The boys all put in work. Les and the other younger boys were tasked with feeding the animals, an easier job and it taught them responsibility. The older boys, like David, worked with the plants. They provided food for the village and they were one of the biggest contributors to keep life moving. 

Slowly, they were building new buildings but it took time and it took materials that they didn’t have yet. Everything was laid out in a ring, a few houses and a church that everyone attended on Sunday. They planned for a schoolhouse to be built one day soon but with how few boys there was and how much they needed boys to work, it wasn’t realistic and everyone understood that. In the center of the town was a wooden post that nobody liked to acknowledge. It was there for punishments but it had been so long since anyone had had to kneel there. David had watched it last night, horrified with what he saw. He knew he’d never have to kneel there.

The mayor didn’t live in town with them. He told everyone that he was helping other settlements, that others relied on him. He trudged through the forest to get to the other settlements. Their village was surrounded by thick forest, only one path cut through from the mayors constant travel but he warned them never to leave.

“It is dangerous,” he said, emphasizing of all the dangers he faced. The townspeople admired him for his bravery. They looked up to all of the risks he took to help them survive, to aid others survival as well. 

His words scared them. Nobody would even step near the forest edge, frightened of the dark shadows and what loomed just beyond. David had wandered close one day, curious what might be beyond. He heard growling, a pair of glowing eyes staring back at him. He fully intended on stepping farther but his mother grabbed his shoulder, yanking him back. 

“Never do that again,” his mother chastised and it stifled his curiosity for a little while. 

David’s life was easy and it was happy, but it wasn’t for him. He laid in bed at night, the candle flickering softly next to him. He stared up at the ceiling and tried to picture the forest and beyond. What lied outside of Santa Fe? What world would he encounter if he left?

“Dave,” Les whined, rolling over onto his side, eyes cracking open to stare at your brother. David rolled his head to the side, looking over at him. “Blow it out, I am tired.” David blew out the candle, left in dark silence and went back to his dreaming until he fell asleep. He woke up the next morning to his mother shaking him.

  
“The mayor is here, he has a speech for us,” she whispered, going to Les next and gathering them up. She told them to put on their best church clothes and David sighed. Even those were dirty.

He felt like something was missing each morning, always the same longing deep in his chest. His curiosity for more never disappeared, he dreamed and longed for something more. He didn’t like the confines of his life. Farming and tending to animals in the absence of the other boys. 

“You are necessary to the future,” the mayor said when everyone gathered around and David heard the words but it didn’t register with him. It never did. “The people coming will only help better us. New boys to help lighten the load, to aid us and grow with us,” he said, lighting a fire in them to inspire and raise them better but it only seemed to sink David lower. 

He was unhappy with his life. He loved his family, he loved the closeness of their whole town but he didn’t want it, not when there was something more in the world.

“Mama,” he said one day. She was cooking soup, something they ate a lot of when the animals were too young or ready to breed.    
  
“Yes, dear?” She replied, stirring slowly and staring at it instead of her son.   
  
“What else is there in the world. Beyond the forest?” He asked and she stopped, resting the wooden spoon on the top of the pot. She turned to look at him, frowning.

“You cannot think about that. This is your home and you belong here,” She dismissed him, ignoring the rest of his words. He hated the way she responded. Why couldn’t he ask? The mayor knew what lie beyond but nobody thought to ask besides David? He couldn’t believe that everyone here was just content with their simple life. He couldn’t believe that simple was appealing yet more were arriving. New families, new boys. Their town would grow, trees hacked down for new cabins and maybe a school. That was the future that everyone was dreaming of. 

She sat down on his bed that night, brushing his hair back that lay on his forehead, cupping his cheek and sighing.

“David, you cannot leave. The mayor risks so much for us. It is dangerous beyond our village and you know that. I don’t want to lose my boys,” she whispered, looking over to Les who was sound asleep in his bed. David looked to him, to the boy who modeled his life after David and spoke so highly of him. Could he leave that.

“Mama, is there more? Is there a better life?” He asked, needing an answer to give him some sort of feeling in his chest, the longing growing to be too much.

“No, this is a wonderful village with wonderful people. This is where you belong,” she whispered, kissing his forehead. She leaned up and cupped her hand behind the candle, blowing it out and leaving the boys room. 

He turned eighteen but it was nothing special in their village. Birthday wishes and prayers were sent his way but celebrations didn’t exist for them. David smiled and thanked them for their prayers. His mother spoke up during supper, smiling sweetly.

“Elizabeth Miller is beautiful,” she said, all eyes turning to David. He nodded, not looking up from his soup. He wasn’t sure how he was expected to respond to that. “Her father has asked that you be the one to ask for her hand in marriage. I agreed and said that you would,” she continued and that got David’s attention.

“She is not who I want to marry,” he said, his words tapering at the end, his eyes going back to his food. He could feel the disapproval from his parents.

“What? Is there someone who you fancy more?” She asked, setting her spoon down. The sound of it unnerved David. His shoulders hunched and he tried to find his words.

“No, there is no one here I fancy. She is not who I want, if I could just-” He started, his mother holding a hand up to stop him.

“David, we talked about this. Do not bring that up at my supper table. Your father has done so much to provide you with happiness and health, I will not allow this disrespect,” she said, her tone full of disapproval. The rest of his words got caught in his throat and he let the topic drop.

David had made up his mind no matter how often his mother urged him to ask for Elizabeth’s hand. He didn’t want her and he didn’t think he ever would. Maybe there was a girl beyond the forest and the thought of going to find, to explore seemed more and more appealing.

He wondered why that night that he was so adamant about not wanting to marry her. She was beautiful, there was no question. She seemed to like him and everyone knew but even then, he felt nothing. He was always polite, carrying on a conversation while she blatantly flirted with him. 

David decided that it was because he was unhappy in this village. If he married Elizabeth he would need to be a husband, carry on the life that was expected. He couldn’t even entertain the thought of leaving. That was hardly an option for him now but it was more appealing than anything left in this village.

He looked over to the candle that was flickering weakly. The wick was short and it’s light would die shortly. David sat up, biting at the inside of his cheek, a war going on in his mind as he decided what he would do.

“Dave?” Les called from the other bed, leaning up on his elbow and rubbing his eyes sleepily. David looked over to his brother and sighed. “Why are you still dressed? Mother said to sleep,” Les said, laying back down.

“I’m leaving,” he said, just loud enough for the words to reach Les but never carrying far enough that his parents might hear.

“It’s not safe!” Les said hurriedly, sitting up in his bed, worry tainting his face. David smiled at his brother, crossing the room to sit beside him. He sat with his brother, pulling him into a hug and holding him close. He wondered if it would be the last time he could. Les was right, the creatures looming in the forest were scary, he didn’t know what he would encounter but he couldn’t stay and he felt that even Les knew that deep down.

“I need you to keep it to yourself. I am unhappy here. There is life outside of our village and I need to experience more,” he said and Les began to tear up but he didn’t argue. David thought that everyone in the village knew this is what he wanted but nobody acknowledged it. 

“Will you come back and tell me about your adventure?” Les asked, wiping his eyes. David smiled and nodded.

“I will come back with many stories for you,” he said and Les let go of him after that. 

“Please return,” he whispered as he watched David stand. He was terrified of what David might encounter in the forest but so was David. He just knew he had to do it. 

David blew out the candle, saving a little bit Les tomorrow night if he didn’t return. How far would David be able to adventure? He wasn’t even sure if he would make it through the forest alive but he didn’t care about that. If he could find something more than such a small life, it would be worth it to him.

David stepped outside of his cabin, breathing in the air. The sun had set and the moon hung high above their heads but it didn’t feel cold to him. He stared up at the stars, looking around at the cabins and their dark windows. He walked to the forest entrance, taking a deep breath. He stepped forward, barely inside the tunnel of trees when he heard growling, low and menacing. The eyes glowed at him and they looked exactly the way he remembered it years ago. He didn’t hear the creature that stared at him move and he decided that it was okay. 

David kept walking, the darkness overwhelming him. His arms outstretched, feeling for anything that he might bump into. There were no roots to trip over under his feet but he stumbled anyway.

He finally felt something in front of him and it was no tree he’d felt before.

It was smooth in front of him, cold to the touch. He could hear voices on the other side talking, loud and obnoxious, sounds mixed in that he’d never heard before. He felt around, part of the material in front of him giving way and David tripped forward, falling to his knees.

***

Crutchie all but grew up in the movie theaters. He considered himself a film geek, talking endlessly about the style, design, other categories that bored Jack out of his mind. He listened though, supporting his best friends passion regardless of if he felt the same. It gave them plenty to do, seeing films constantly, some good and some bad. 

They had both gone to New York University for the arts, Crutchie going for film making and Jack settling on painting. Crutchie had a career in mind and he was going for it. Jack didn’t have a career in mind yet, just knew that he was talented with art and it was something to start with. He looked at college mostly as an experience. 

He had fun at parties and with people. Jack was an attractive guy with a great personality that people were drawn to. He liked people and he had fun with people and he had no problem going back to a dorm with someone at the end of the night. Crutchie liked to comment on it the next morning when Jack came back with his hair sticking up in different directions and he carried his shirt instead of wearing it.

“Fun night?” Crutchie asked and Jack grinned. “Can’t believe I wasn’t invited.”

“Oh, please,” Jack responded, eyes rolling. 

The two of them had been friends for years and were as close as they could be. At one point they’d both been confused. Crutchie knew that Jack was bisexual and Crutchie didn’t know what he was. They both wondered if their closeness was just good friends or something more. 

It was hard to forget the two of them in the same bed, naked and panting, eyes on the ceiling and covered by nothing but a thin sheet. They were at a loss for words and Jack spoke up first.

“That was good,” he said, not sure how he truly felt about what had happened but he didn’t want to upset Crutchie if he had thought there was more there. Jack would have genuinely tried, he cared about Crutchie. There was a long silence and Jack looked to his friend.

“Don’t lie, that was bad. We are just friends,” Crutchie said, his voice even, a smile on his face when he turned to Jack. “Don’t get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed that and I guess I might be bisexual or gay, who knows, but not you,” he said and Jacked sighed out his relief.

“Thank God,” he said and they laughed it off. 

Crutchie didn’t stop teasing him for it. 

Jack had made it a point not to bring it up out of fear of making his friend uncomfortable. Jack was always open about his life and even his sexual conquests but Crutchie wasn’t quite the same. While Jack had made that point not to put it out there, Crutchie hadn’t.

He liked to poke fun about Jack’s skills, teasing that he was the worst lay of Crutchie’s gay experience.

“I was the only!” Jack countered once and Crutchie grinned and shrugged. 

It always left Jack confused and embarrassed when Crutchie teased.

While Jack was making the most he could of college, Crutchie poured all of his time and attention into classes, determined to get the career he wanted, determined to be a filmmaker on the flip side of his degree. 

His final project for his class was a documentary about something real. He had to film it and turn it in to his professor but he couldn’t find a topic to save his life. He complained about it endlessly in his and Jack’s dorm, lying on his bed and shoveling popcorn into his mouth.

  
“You think popcorn will fill the void inside you?” Jack asked one day, looking at his friend who had bits of popcorn scattered down his shirt. Crutchie shrugged, looking down at himself and frowning.

“Not all of us paint our sorrows,” he said, smiling at his friend.

“How about the average life of a campus hoe?” Jack offered and it got a laugh out of Crutchie.

“You think I know a campus hoe? Isn’t that insensitive anyway?” He asked, setting the bowl of popcorn to the side. Jack threw his arms open, a grin spreading across his face.

“Me! I’m the campus hoe,” he said and it got Crutchie thinking. 

He never looked down on Jack for his behavior. His friend was safe about the things he did but he was young and enjoying his life. Crutchie didn’t care what or who Jack did as long as it wasn’t in their shared room, not that that stopped Jack most times.

“Is this you trying to get your one minute of fame?” Crutchie asked, teasing his friend. This was the best idea that either of them had brainstormed so far. He’d rather turn this in to his professor rather than nothing. He knew that Jack would add humor and entertainment which he felt would make up for his severe lack of content.

“Sure, why not?” Jack asked, grabbing the film camera that Crutchie had gotten on loan from class. Crutchie turned it on, pointing it to Jack who was still grinning.

“You know that nobody is going to see this besides my professor.” Jack waved it off, grabbing the sides of the camera and getting in too close. The camera went out of focus on Jacks face but there was only so much Crutchie could do.

“Hoe life: Episode one,” he stated, stepping back from the camera and looking around. He needed to find something to do that would be interesting for Crutchie’s film. He needed to find someone to pick up.

“Out into the city?” Crutchie prompted and Jack nodded. The two walked only a few blocks to get to Times Square, the bustling city gave Jack plenty of opportunities. There were bars they frequented that Jack usually had good luck with and it was a good place for them to start.

“Here, lets step off the main road,” Crutchie started, nodding down a side alley that was quieter, a street lamp illuminating it enough for filming, “We need some quick exposition before we jump right into your hoe life. So, what is the goal for tonight?” Crutchie asked, putting Jack in the frame. “Wait, before you start, move away from that door. I don’t want it in the shot.”

Jack looked behind him at the door he’d be in front of. He started to shuffle away from it when the door swung open, hitting him in the back and knocking him to the ground. 

Jack’s hands were scraped and he shouted as he stood up.

“What the hell, dude?” He turned to face the guy who came tumbling out of the door. Crutchie stepped back to get both of them in view. 

It was unclear who was most confused.

Jack did a once over of the guy, trying to figure him out. He wore slacks that looked well worn, a dark brown that were obviously more functional than styled. They seemed too big on his scrawny body, a piece of twine holding them up instead of a belt. It seemed odd to Jack but it was hard to forget when people once wore shoelaces instead of belts. His shirt stood out the most. A raggedy, once white shirt that was also too big. The sleeves weren’t sewed off at the ends, fraying pieces dangling over the guys arms. The only way Jack could think a person would get an outfit like this was a poorly made Halloween costume. 

Once he got over falling, he realized the guy was attractive, out of it, but attractive. He stood hunched over, arms wrapping around himself in the chilly night air. He looked down the alley to where people hurried by on the sidewalk, where cars passed and horns honked. The multicolored lights from the billboards casted shadows across the mans face in a way that accentuated his features.

“Hey, you okay?” Jack asked, a small smile going to his face as he tried to put some moves on and salvage the situation. The guy turned to look at him, frowning. “Let’s start with a name. What’s your name?”

“David Jacobs,” he said, looking between Jack and Crutchie, eyes pausing on the camera that was pointed at him. David looked confused. Jack looked directly into the camera, his smile growing because he knew that Crutchie had to have rolled his eyes.

“Okay, David, I’m Jack. Did you take something?” He asked, trying to figure out what was so off about this guy. He dressed like he’d found clothes off the sidewalk but he didn’t give off the homeless vibe. David’s head tilted to the side, staring at Jack when he kept talking.

“What would I have taken?” He asked and Jack nodded, sure that he was definitely on some heavy drugs. Jack decided not to push the question.

“Jack, this isn’t a good idea,” Crutchie started, still filming but worried about Jack’s choice of men to flirt with. 

“How about I take you out for drinks,” Jack tried, reaching out to touch the small of David’s back. He flinched away, eyes wide as he shook his head.

“No, I need to go back to the forest,” He said, holding his arms tighter to his body. Jack frowned, side eyeing the camera.

“Buddy, you’re in the heart of New York City, there isn’t a tree for miles,” Crutchie informed him, laughing awkwardly. David just looked more and more confused.

  
“I need the forest, I have to go home through the forest. You do not understand, I have made a severe mistake,” He said frantically, looking around as tears welled in his eyes. Jack crossed his arms over his chest, about to say something else.

“Jack, we need to go,” Crutchie said, turning to try and walk away. His crutch dropped out from under his arm and he wobbled, trying to find his balance on his good leg without dropping the camera that was still on his shoulder. Jack’s first instinct was to laugh.

“Mood,” he said, bending down to grab the crutch and hand it to his friend.

“Mood?” David asked, staring at the crutch.

“You’ve never heard that before?” Jack asked and watching as David’s head shoot. “It’s like,” he paused, gathering his thoughts. “It’s like when something mildly inconvenient happens and you say that it’s your mood.” David’s face scrunched up as he thought about it.

“I do not understand,” he said honestly and Jack laughed.

“That’s kind of the point. Nobody understands but somehow everyone understands,” he said, shrugging. David nodded, still looking unsure.

“Mood,” he said, voice soft and Jack’s smile was uncomfortable.

“Yes, that’s right,” he said, feeling bad that this guy was so confused. He felt that the lie was nicer than the truth to someone who seemed like he was higher than the clouds on crack. 

“Can we go?” Crutchie asked finally, stepping away towards the street. Jack nodded and looked back to David.

“Well, it was nice meetin’ ya Davey, I hope you find the forest,” he said and David’s confusion turned annoyed.

“My name is David Jacobs,” He reminded Jack who only laughed.

“Right.”

They walked away from David, not turning back. Jack was pouting as they stepped back onto the street, surrounded by people. Crutchie was pointing the camera at him, the documentary he was assigned to make was about Jack, after all.

“Quit pouting, what’s the matter?” Crutchie asked, trying to keep the dead air from continuing to permeate the footage.

“He was so hot, dude. Like, so hot,” Jack said, looking to the camera. He could see Crutchie shaking his head.

“Look, that was one a half baskets of crazy you do not need in your life. He was cracked out on some sort of drug. Did you even listen or were you thinking with your dick? He was talking about a forest. A  _ forest,  _ for fucks sake. Where is there even a forest around here?” Crutchie argued and Jack couldn’t even fight that. David was definitely doing some drugs to be talking like that. He sighed and shrugged.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Can we just go back to the dorms? I’m not feeling like I’m gonna find anyone tonight, ya know?” 

Crutchie stopped filming for the night, heading back to the dorm with Jack. 

They had to wake up early the next morning, their shared United States history class had a field trip. It wasn’t specifically mandatory but it was highly recommended.

Their unit for the next week was about early life in the states and how the people lived. They were expected to do a project on it come finals and this was their last chance to get as much of a glimpse into the life as they could. 

There was a museum in the heart of New York City that had been established for the last twenty years. It was an exhibit, a glass dome that held a small group of families. They were isolated from outside life and to them, they really lived in the 1800’s. They farmed their own food and relied on each other. 

Having lived in New York his entire life, Jack had visited numerous times. There was only so much to do, especially being underaged, that he went every so often when he was bored. There was a boy who lived there who a lot of Jack’s classmates all felt attached to. They had all, in a sense, grown up together. He saw the boy throughout the years, getting taller, older, the same as he did. It felt like Jack knew him even though they had never spoken. 

This one boy in particular though was dubbed the heartthrob of the 1800’s. Girls and the gay men all were attracted to him. His name was Hot 1800’s Boy because nobody knew what his name actually was. There was a plaque on the wall with the names of the people inside the exhibit but it didn’t come with pictures next to the names. 

They showed up at the exhibit with the rest of their class, the workers there giving the same spiel, talking about the authenticity of the exhibit and their isolation to only the exhibit. 

“None of our members are allowed to leave to give our audiences the best and most authentic experience into life of the 1800’s.” Jack just nodded his head and kept walking. 

  
  


The class all hovered around the glass, watching the people in the exhibit.    
  
“Look! Hot boy,” one girl said, pointing down at the boy. He was working with the crops but he didn’t seem the same as before. Jack had seen him so many times but it felt off. The boy seemed dejected, almost sad.

“Crutchie, he looks familiar,” Jack said, tilting his head to the side. He’d seen that face before but he couldn’t place it.

“How many times have you been here? Of course he looks familiar,” Crutchie said, not quite paying attention. It wasn’t until Jack spoke up again. 

“Not gonna lie, he looks like that crackhead from last night,” Jack said. He was joking around, laughing it off because he didn’t seriously believe what he was saying. 

“No, it can’t be,” Crutchie said, moving closer to the glass. His voice was less convincing though, like he didn’t quite believe his words. “What did he say his name was?” He asked, walking over to the big plaque that listed all of the names. Jack followed him, eyebrows furrowing.

“David Jacobs? Jacob Davids?” He said, already blanking. In Jack’s mind, it was just another failed conquest. Another man who rejected him which Jack didn’t mind. Not everything worked out but that was the fun of flirting, of being, as friends say, a hoe. 

They looked at the sign, scanning the names and there was one that stood out quickly.

David Jacobs.

“No,” Jack whispered, looking back at the glass to the exhibit. He was trying to wrap his mind around how they could have met someone from the 1800’s. “Come on, dude. It’s not possible. They can’t leave. They say that  _ every time,  _ Crutchie.” 

His friend just nodded, hurrying back over to the exhibit. He pushed people to the side to make room for him, looking around to spot David again. He knew, he just knew that it was him.

“Jack, think about it. It makes sense. Why he was dressed so weird, why he was so out of it. Because he’s not from our _time._” Crutchie didn’t know how else to explain it to his friend. 

“But he-”   
  
“The forest! Jack, the forest in the middle of New York City!”

Jack’s mouth fell open as he stared down at the hot 1800’s boy and that was when it hit him. He met and talked to someone from the 1800’s, someone who genuinely believed he lived in that time period.    
  
“No way!” 

They stared in awe for a minute before they heard it.

David had been carrying a sack full of feed for the animals. It was obviously heavy, David struggling to keep it in his arms. He stumbled and the sack dropped to the ground, spilling some. He stared at it for a moment before he laughed.

“Mood,” was all he said and if Jack and Crutchie needed anymore evidence that it was him that they spoke to it, that was it.

“Hey, he got it right,” Jack said, a grin on his lips because he was proud that David had listened and learned and actually grasped the concept behind the word.

Crutchie hit him on the back of the head before he dragged him to the bathroom, making sure that nobody else was in there before he spoke.

“Do you realize what we’ve done?” Crutchie asked and Jack almost made a joke but he saw how panicked Crutchie looked. 

“He-” Jack started, waving his arms around as some sort of a way to explain, “He said one thing! That doesn’t necessarily mean anyone will know that he got out, right?” Jack asked but he could feel the worry slowly setting in.    
  
“It does. Nobody back then talked like that. It’s such a millennial thing,” he said and there was no arguing with that logic. Crutchie was right and Jack hated to admit that.

“I ruined a guy from the 1800’s, huh?” Jack said and Crutchie groaned that it was back to joking at the reality of the situation, “What? It’s not like we can change what happened. He left on his own.” It was the truth. David left on his own and just happened to stumble into people. They didn’t know better but even if they did, what was so bad about talking? 

They would have kept talking but one of their classmates came in.

“Professor said to get out here. Something about seeing a real life punishment for someone of this time period,” he said and Jack’s stomach dropped to the floor. 

They walked out slowly, following suit with everyone who was crowded around the glass.    
  


In the center of the town was a post. It stood tall and it was obvious that the people who lived there didn’t look at it. Jack was learning why. 

David was kneeling down in front of the post. Everyone who lived there, like the visitors to the exhibit, were gathered around but the tension in the air left everyone feeling somber. The Mayor stood in front of David, a long back whip circled around his hand. His lips pursed as he looked at the members of his village and then his knowing eyes looked up to the glass. It was hidden from the villagers but since he owned the building, he knew where to look. 

“There are rules and laws of our land. I put these in place not for disrespect on you but for safety and protection. There are dangers out there that I have faced, unknown some even to me. While I provide you with the best I can offer, I cannot have the people I care about and care for disrespect me. With said disrespect, I must make a lesson for the rest. David disobeyed the biggest rule that I have implaced for my people. He left through the forest and came back once he realized that I explained the dangers correctly,” The Mayor paused, stepped aside and holding his hand out to David. 

Jack could see David’s shoulders shake. They were too far away but he could tell that he was crying. 

“Crutchie, this is our fault,” Jack whispered, staring down at the scene in horror. The rest of the class felt somewhat similarly. They stared out of curiosity and out of horror. Some laughed and others felt bad but nobody looked away.    
  
The Mayor made David take his shirt off and Jack felt ashamed at how many people swooned.

“He looks so good with his shirt off!”   
  
“Are you kidding? You’re thirsting after him when he’s getting punished?”

Jack bit at his lip, wanting to stop it but he was just a visitor to an exhibit in which David was living in. 

Everyone watched as the whip was raised, David’s eyes looking up and back to The Mayor. Jack could see how red they were now, how frightened David looked. 

In a moment of panic, David raised his hand to shield himself as the whip came down. It wrapped around his hand and David flinched, crying out as it tore the skin of his palm. The Mayor yelled, words getting blurred out by the chatter of all the students watching. More and more people were gathering around them.    
  
Jack was holding his hand, thumb pressing into the same spot that David had gotten hit.

The other villagers seemed to be taking orders. One of them had rope and the others were pulling David’s hands above his head, back to the audience as they tied his wrists to the pole. He struggled against them for a moment before it became clear to him that he was stuck. He sagged, his shoulders taking his weight as he cried. His whole body was shaking.

After the first hit to David’s back, Jack couldn’t watch. He closed his eyes and hung his head, guilty because even if he hadn’t forced David to leave, they’d talked. Jack felt like if he had known who David was, he would have taken him far from this place. Somewhere better. He didn’t know where the sudden care and worry came from but it was there and he felt like he was suffocating on it. 

Crutchie grabbed his shoulder when the sounds of the whip hitting David’s skin stopped. Jack opened his eyes to see what had happened. Blood had dripped down his arm and long streaks of red and blood scattered his back.    
  
“Can we just go back to the dorm? I don’t want to be here,” he said and Crutchie nodded. 

It was rare for Jack to be so solemn and quiet. Crutchie was a little worried about his friend. 

As bad as Crutchie felt about what had happened, he wanted to talk to David. Now that he knew that he wasn’t just another idiot on drugs, he thought that maybe, just maybe, David would have been fed up and left again. He felt a tiny bit guilty about thinking about it as a student with a film project. Filming Jack trying to get laid would be humorous and he’d get graded on his technique and editing rather than content but given the opportunity to film something more than a horny college student sounded a lot better.

“Let’s go out,” Crutchie said, not offering up why. He didn’t want to tell Jack his idea for a new documentary topic until he was sure he’d have enough footage to pull it off.

“Not in the mood,” Jack said, head not even lifting to look at Crutchie.

“Come on, dude. We can go to that one bar. They never card you,” he said and Jack sighed, realizing he wouldn’t be able to get off the hook. 

“Fine,” he said, rolling off his bed and getting dressed.

They were walking down the road and Jack kept eyeing the camera. He was rolling but Jack had already said he wasn’t trying to find anyone tonight. He was confused.

“Crutchie, we were supposed to turn down there,” he said, pointing at the road they just passed. Crutchie didn’t seem to notice or care that he was leading them the wrong way. 

There was a hint in the back of Jack’s brain that gave him a clue of where they were going.

“He’s not going to leave after that,” Jack said, rolling his eyes. He wasn’t sure he could even face David after what he had saw. 

“You never know. Maybe he realized how fucked that place was and how exciting the twenty-first century is and wants to see it more?” He fired back and Jack just kept his mouth shut. They were already out so he might as well go along with it so he could laugh in Crutchie’s face when he was right.

They sat in the alley where they’d met David, talking quietly. The camera was on and pointed at the door. They waited and waited, slowly getting impatient.

It got to a point where they were so sure that David wouldn’t show that when the door slammed open, they jumped. Crutchie fumbled trying to grab his camera and Jack was so surprised and guilty at what he saw that he couldn’t even find the words to speak.

David looked around, spotting the two of them and he stopped for a second. 

“You are here?” He asked, confusion and something else. Jack tried to convince himself that it was hope. Crutchie looked at Jack, pleading with his eyes for Jack to say something. He cleared his throat.

“Uh, yeah,” he said, unsure how to start. How could he explain why they were there? David had no idea his entire life was on display for anyone who walked into the museum, that Jack knew far too much about this boy, thinking they had grown up together. That would probably have sent David into a mental breakdown.

“The forest,” he started, looking at the door that had closed behind him, “Nothing is real.” It started like a question but changed to a statement at the last minute. He was realizing it and Jack felt bad.

“No, it’s not,” he said and David looked to the ground.

“Where am I?”

“New York City,” he said and David nodded, he’d heard that one before. “It’s a little different than you might have known.”

David looked down the alley, the lights flashing as the billboards changed.

“I have heard of New York City before,” he said, his voice sounding as distant as his eyes.

“Hey, how ‘bouts I show you around the city and get you some real food. I can explain it all,” he said, eyeing Crutchie who smiled and offered a thumbs up.

“I am famished, food would be wonderful,” David said and it took Jack a second to smile. 

He walked down the alley, noticing how intimidated David was by the city. Jack reached out and placed his hand on the small of his back, guiding him gently towards the street. David moved closer once people started to surround them, keeping close to the only thing that was even slightly familiar.

Jack could feel how tense David was next to him, his eyes darting all over the place and Jack was at a loss for how to explain everything to him.

“So, 1800’s?” He started and felt dumb. He knew that already.

“Yes. Why would you question the year?” Jack looked back to Crutchie, his face hidden behind the camera. He didn’t know how to explain it.

“Well, it’s not the 1800’s. The year is 2019. That’s why things are so different,” he started, not sure where to go from that. How did he explain their current technology? “There’s just a lot of stuff that you never got to see.”

“2019? I never imagined that society would get there,” David said and Jack couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yeah, we didn’t either,” he said, checking out the restaurants that they passed, “How does a burger sound?”

Crutchie cheered but David stayed quiet. Jack grinned and pushed him towards a restaurant.

“Don’t worry, it’s great. One of my favorite places to eat.”

They sat down and a waitress handed menus to the three of them. Jack and Crutchie scanned it, talking about which they had last time and wanted to try this time. It wasn’t until he’d decided that Jack realized David hadn’t given his two cents.

“What’re you getting?” He asked and David looked up from the menu, face showing his confusion.

“What do you mean?” He asked, looking down to the menu. 

“Oh, yeah. It’s your first time in a restaurant. You read the menu options and then pick what sounds best,” he explained and Crutchie nudged his foot under the table.

“David, do you know how to read?” Crutchie asked and David seemed to shrink back into his chair before he shook his head. Jack looked down to his menu and tried to imagine the words in a foreign language to maybe understand how David must feel.

“Hey, that’s okay. What about trying a cheeseburger? Those aren’t too weird,” Jack offered and David sighed quietly and nodded.

“Okay, I will have that,” he said and Jack smiled.

The waitress came around and took their orders, smiling politely as Jack and Crutchie told her what they wanted. She got to David and he didn’t seem to have picked up that he was supposed to tell her. That or he’d forgotten what he was ordering. Her smile fell as she waited, eyebrows raising. Jack laughed nervously and leaned into the table.

“He’ll have a cheeseburger.”

“Yes, a cheeseburger,” David repeated and she gave them a weird stare.

“I’ll get those right out.”

There was an awkward silence that fell over them, no one sure what else to say. Jack didn’t understand how overwhelming it was for him. 

“How’s your family?” Crutchie asked to fill the silence. He hadn’t let Jack in on the idea of changing it to a story about David and his life but either way, he thought it would be interesting.

“They are good. I planned to leave and find a better life out there for me and for my little brother, Les. He deserves more than farming and farming until he is old and his job is to marry and start a family. Les deserves more,” David said, smiling at the thought of his brother and looking down to his lap.

“That’s sweet,” Jack said, looking to the waitress when she approached.

The food was set down and it seemed that David knew what to do. He started reaching for food and they felt confident that he could figure out the rest on his own. Jack was mid bite when something clattered to the floor. David was sitting there with a blank look on his face. He sighed, hanging his head.

“What’s the matter?” Crutchie asked, turning the camera slightly to put David in the frame.

“I cannot waste your food,” he said softly and Jack and Crutchie shared a look. 

“It’s not a waste, eat up. Is it because you’re worried about getting in trouble?” 

David shook his head and his eyes started welling up with tears.

“You do not understand. I cannot waste your food because I am dying. I will not survive the next few days, tonight if I am lucky,” he said and Jack’s eyes went wide, coughing when he inhaled the food into his lungs.

“You’re what?” He asked, setting his burger down and sitting up straight. Jack felt like his heart tightened at the thought of David dying. Crutchie was the only one who didn’t lose his head at the comment. He watched David for a second, his shoulders hunched and his arms tensed like he was in pain. David seemed to be protecting his hands and arms with his position and the way it seemed that his hands grabbed at each other under the table.

“Why’re you dying? Show me your hand.” David hesitated but did as he was asked.

His hand was closed in a fist and he opened it slowly. His palm was bloody, Crutchie zooming in on his napkin set with the steak knife missing. Jack looked at the knife was on the floor at David’s feet.

“You’re gonna live. It’s just a cut. Remember how I said that it’s 2019? Medicine has changed a lot. That? Easy fix. You’ll be good to go in like ten minutes and you’ll live another fifty years minimum,” Jack said and David didn’t look like he believed Jack’s words but he nodded anyway. 

They waved the waitress down and asked for the check and a few boxes since they had barely touched their food. She was kind enough to offer them a clean rag from the kitchen to wrap David’s hand up in since he was bleeding pretty badly. 

“We should probably walk,” Crutchie said, knowing a hospital that was nearby. Jack gave him a look, gesturing to David whose blood was peaking through the rag. ”He already thinks this cut is gonna kill him. Do you really want to put him in the back of a moving vehicle? Dude, he’d panic and give himself a heart attack.”

Luckily it wasn’t a long walk because David was convinced that he would surely die. Jack was sweet though about it, talking to him kindly.

“You’re gonna be okay, they’ll fix you right up.”

“Your kindness is very much appreciated but it is a waste on me,” Jack said as they walked in the emergency room doors. The receptionists and doctors didn’t flinch as they took David back. The doctor tried to keep Jack and Crutchie with his camera from going into the back but David asked if they could.

“I cannot be alone in my time of dying,” he said and the doctor frowned, looking between the small group and sighing.

“Follow me then,” he said. 

They ended up in a room, beds separated only by curtains. The doctor asked to look at his hand, removing the rag from David’s hand and examining it. He cleaned some of the blood up and frowned again.

“There is prior trauma to his hand. Did something happen that I should know about?” He asked and it wasn’t until then that Jack saw the angry red lines from where the whip had wrapped around David’s hand.

“It was all consensual,” Jack said, squeezing David’s shoulder and winking. The doctor squinted his eyes for a second before moving on. David didn’t seem to understand what was going on still.

“Sir, please, do not waste your time on me. I am sure to die in the near future,” David said, cradling his hand while the doctor was setting up the stitches and bandages.

“Next question, is he on something? Legally, I can’t report you to the police. Anything you say here is protected by laws. I just need to know in case I have to give him medications so there isn’t any adverse reactions,” the doctor said, staring at David. 

Jack panicked for a second, looking over to Crutchie for help. He couldn’t quite come out and say that his odd behavior was because he was from the 1800’s. Couldn’t say that he escaped from the exhibit either, that he was definitely in the wrong place but what else would he say? 

“Look, he wanted to try some acid and the person we bought it from gave him some wack shit. It was an accident but I’m watching over him. It’s just a real bad trip, ya know?” Jack said, the lie coming out too easily. The doctor seemed to believe it.

“And the camera? Do you need to be filming this procedure?” He asked and it was Crutchie’s turn to speak up.

“It’s a school project. David consented to being filmed even under the influence. I have it in writing,” he said, lying too.

“But I didn’t. You will be blurring out my face and name from whatever this is being posted to,” he said and Crutchie nodded, not taking offense to the doctors words.

“Of course, not a problem.”

The doctor set David’s hand on a small table, palm up. He hadn’t even grabbed the needle yet, only some gauze to clean it and disinfect it before he started but David freaked out. He yanked his hand away and started yelling.

“Jack! He’s trying to kill me, we need to leave,” he said frantically, trying to get up out of the chair.

“Would you please hold him down? I don’t think he’d take well to any sort of sedation,” the doctor said and Jack nodded.

“Sorry, ‘lil man,” he said, grabbing David’s shoulders and pulling him back against the chair. He wrapped his arms around David and held him back, the doctor working on his hand as quick as possible. David was still going on about his impending death and Jack felt bad, whispering in his ear to try and calm him.

“You’re going to be okay, I’ve got you,” he said, pressing his cheek to David’s hair.

Stitches were over quick and David seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating.

“Keep the stitches clean and come back in a week or so to have them removed,” he said and Jack nodded, guiding David out of the room and then out of the hospital. They were back on the street and for as busy as the night was, David seemed more comfortable there than in the hospital.

“How is he gonna get stitches removed in the 1800’s?” Jack asked, assuming that the traumatizing night would leave a lasting impression that would keep him in his own time period. Crutchie shrugged, not commenting.

They walked back towards the alley where David had come from. Jack was quieter than usual. He didn’t necessarily want to say goodbye to David, he had fun showing David all of the things that he never got to experience and he had fun around him in general. 

“In about a week or so, find a clean knife and try to cut them out, okay? I get the feeling we won’t meet here again,” Jack said, his voice giving away his disappointment. David looked to the ground.

“I think that it was a mistake to leave today. I was so disoriented after,” he paused, hesitating on how much information of his life he should give away. Jack realized that David still didn’t know that his life was on display for anyone who wanted to see, “After I was punished. I wanted to know more about New York City so I thank you for showing me some more. I do pray I will not die in my sleep, though,” he said and Jack couldn’t help his laugh.

“Here,” Jack said, handing David a piece of paper. It had his cell phone number on it. “If you ever do leave again and want to find us, ask someone on the street to borrow a telephone and call that number. I’ll answer and we’ll come get you. Just keep that paper hidden, I don’t want you in anymore trouble.”

David took the paper and smiled at the both of them.

“Thank you,” he said, turning and opening the door and then he was gone.

There was an awkward silence in the alley, neither of them knowing how to break it. 

“You okay?” Crutchie finally asked, noticing the slump of Jack’s shoulders.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” He responded but he didn’t turn around. His voice gave away his sadness.

It was a couple of days later and Jack was restless. He kept saying no to going out, no to wanting a chance to flirt with someone knew.

“Admit it, you liked him,” Crutchie said, fed up with the sad boy mood that had settled on their room.

“I do not,” Jack fired back, glaring at his friend, “How can I like someone I don’t even know?” He asked and Crutchie shrugged.

***

David had learned his lesson the hard way. He sat on his bed by candlelight the first night back, staring at the wick as it burned. There was an answered question inside him now. He knew what as outside of the forest, what The Mayor had said was too dangerous. He might have understood why it would be dangerous. There was so much out there, so much he still didn’t understand but Jack had been so nice, so helpful. He thought about Jack a lot.

He wanted to leave again, the piece of paper with the numbers on it was underneath his mattress, hidden from his family. He didn’t know what it meant exactly but he knew it was important to Jack. He wanted to leave but he looked over to his brother sleeping peacefully, face barely illuminated by the candle and he felt homesick even in his own bed.

The thought of leaving left his head for a couple of days.

It wasn’t until his brother was lying in bed, paler than David had ever seen him. His forehead was sweaty and felt like fire to his hand. His mother said he was sick, that she would make him some soup, some tea if she had any and would pray for a speedy recovery. He overheard his parents that night when he stepped out of his room. They were talking about him dying. They said that Les was far more sick than they could handle. They said that they hoped The Mayor would get back to town in time. 

They thought Les would surely die.

David frowned as he went back to his room and waited until they had gone to bed. He packed his things again, only pausing when he heard a small whimper from across the room.

“No, Les, get your rest for tomorrow,” David said, moving over to him and brushing his hair off his forehead.

“You are leaving again,” Les said but it wasn’t a question, “I know you left.”

“Les, there is so much life out through the forest. They have medicine that we do not have here, they can fix you up. Here, look,” David said, taking the bandage wrapped around his hand to show Les. The stitches were still there and while unimpressive in appearance, Les was curious.

“I have never seen those,” he said and David smiled.

  
“Because it is something out there, beyond the forest. Let me go through the forest. I will return with medicine for you and when you are better, I will take you with me. We will go and explore. You would love it, Les,” David said, standing and grabbing his things.

“You will come back?” He asked and David turned to him, smiling.

“Of course,” David said, feeling like his heart was constricting.

“You are my favorite brother,” Les said, his smile weak with how poor he felt. 

“I am your only brother,” David laughed, kissing his brothers forehead, “I will be back for you soon.”

He saw the eyes and heard the growling, no longer scared. He didn’t know what it was still but he knew that it wasn’t real like the forest wasn’t.

***

David felt like maybe he should have been accustomed to what it was like outside but he wasn’t. He definitely wasn’t.

He had grabbed the piece of paper Jack gave him, running up towards the street. He looked up to the sky, frowning as water hit his face. He was pushed around by people passing him on the street. They didn’t seem to care that he was confused and lost, that he wasn’t even from the right time period. Someone pushed him to the ground, kicking him as they walked by.

A man stopped and held a hand out to him, getting him back on his feet.

“Are you okay?” He asked and David was more overwhelmed than he had been before.

“I need Jack,” he said, feeling anxiety rise in him. Jack had always been quick to reassure him and he needed that right then.

“Jack? Do you have a phone?” The man asked.

“I was told to ask to borrow a telephone,” David said, looking to the man, “I need to use your telephone.”

“I mean, I’ve got a cell phone?” He responded and David shook his head.

“Jack said a telephone.”

“Why don’t you give me the number and I will call it on my,” he hesitated, smiling politely. It went over David’s head that it was tense and he was annoyed, “Call him on my telephone.”

David did as he was asked and handed the man the piece of paper. He pressed some buttons and then handed it to David. He stared down at the phone, eyebrows raised.

“What do I do with it?” He asked and the man sighed, grabbing David’s hand and forcing it to his ear.

_ “Who is this?”  _ Jack asked and David didn’t understand how he could talk to Jack without him being here but his voice relieved some of his anxieties.

“Jack, you told me to call this number if I left again. I do not know where I am. My brother is dying, he is really sick. I needed help and you showed me the medicine you have in 2019,” he said, pausing for a moment and scrunching his nose when a drop of rain hit him, “And the world is ending.”

_ “The world is ending?”  _ Jack asked and David could hear muffled sounds from the phone,  _ “Oh, shit, he means rain! Davey, it’s totally fine. That’s called rain and it happens all the time. Just not in the 1800’s,”  _ he explained. Crutchie’s voice echoed from the background, muffled.

_ “Dude, it rained in the 1800’s, just not where David was. How dense are you?” _

“Why are you not here? I thought that you would be here,” David said, looking around to try and find a street. He looked to the man who was standing with him. He was about to ask for help.

“Give me the phone,” the man David was with said, sighing.

David did as he was told. 

“Hey, sorry for the late hour. It’s raining out so we’ll be in the Starbucks off of main. I’ll wait with him until you get here but please, for the love of God, get this guy into rehab or something. He’s strung out,” the guy said.

Jack hung up, laughing while Crutchie shook his head.

“Let’s just go get him,” he said, packing his camera up and heading outside to find a taxi.

They walked into the Starbucks, finding David with a cup of water and a man they’d never met seated across from him. David saw Jack and smiled, yelling his name as they walked over.

“Took you long enough,” the man said, standing up and shaking Jack’s hand. He offered it to Crutchie who smiled politely. He had a crutch in one hand and a camera in the other. The man seemed to understand. 

“We’re coming from the university so it took a minute. Thank you for letting him borrow your phone,” Jack said, resting his hand on David’s back.

“Please, get this guy some help. He needs rehab for whatever he’s fucked up on,” the man said and Jack nodded, saying his thanks again and guiding David out with Crutchie following behind. He stood on the side of the road and hailed a taxi, watching as one pulled up next to him.

“Rehab?” David asked, staring at the car, confusion on his face.

“Don’t worry about rehab. Crutchie, why don’t you hop in and I’ll sit in the middle? I feel like Davey will be better on the window,” he said and Crutchie nodded. 

David shut the door when he was in once he was instructed by Jack. The car started moving and it only took a second before David’s panic set in.

“What is going on? Why are we moving?” He said, his back pressed to the seat and his eyes wide. One of his hands grabbed the door handle and the other reached out for Jack, grabbing the top of his knee. His grip was tight, knuckles going white with how hard he was grabbing. Jack turned to him, hoping that his presence provided at least some comfort.

“Why don’t you put that hand a little higher?” He teased, getting smacked in the arm by Crutchie, “Fine, fine, I won’t say that. Davey, it’s okay. It’s a car, this is like 2019 transport to your horseback transport,” he tried, hoping that it helped.

“Horseback? I do not know what you are talking about,” he responded, voice strained. Jack remembered that while David lived in the 1800’s, he also lived indoors inside a closed exhibit. They didn’t travel and didn’t have horses because of that fact.

Jack leaned over to roll down the window, not sure if it would help but he thought that maybe the lights passing by would be enough of a distraction. Maybe make it worse.

“It’s okay,” he whispered to David, leaning in until his chest pressed to David’s shoulder. He was pointing out the window and explaining some of the different places, his favorites and others that were cool to visit. It seemed to help, the pressure from David’s hand letting up slightly but leaving it there.

The cab driver pulled up outside of the dorms, waiting for payment before they left. 

David seemed confused about the world, not understanding how everything could be so different.

“How can the years be so different?” He asked finally as they walked up the stairs. Jack had expected this conversation but he still didn’t know how to explain the exhibit and that everything David knew was fake.

“I know it might be hard to understand but the town you lived in, it wasn’t real. A while ago this very rich man, the man you know as The Mayor, thought it would be good to get into a museum like business,” he tried and it just seemed to make David more confused. “There’s all these buildings that show off old stuff, museums, and they talk about life back in the 1800’s or whatever, but besides stories, we never really get to see it. He did this research and made this town. You’re inside an exhibit that I can go and see, I can watch your life. In fact, I’ve watched your life for a long time now.”

David didn’t seem to completely grasp the idea of it all but he nodded.

“Nothing was real?” He asked and Jack frowned at how it was worded but he couldn’t deny that that was an easy explanation.

“No, I’m sorry,” he said, opening the door to his dorm and gesturing for David and Crutchie to go in, “Speaking of that, I should find a way to call the owner before we sleep. That way maybe we can let him know what’s going on in case he doesn’t know yet.” David smiled at that.

It wasn’t hard to find the name of the owner. Mr. Joseph Pulitzer, his contact information listed on the contact portion of their website. Jack was sure that it was a work phone that he wouldn’t even see until the morning but a voicemail would do. 

“Sir, my name is Jack Kelly. I found Davey and he was real worried about his brother being sick. Mind giving me a call back? I just wanted to make sure they got taken care of and such. Davey means well.” He made it quick, giving his number and his name and the fact that David’s brother was very ill so that they could call him back if they needed. He hung up and smiled at the other two.

“Good to go.”

Their dorm was small, just two beds, a bathroom, and two desks. It wasn’t meant for additional people but given the situation, Jack felt that they would be a tiny bit understanding.

“Davey, you can have my bed, I’ll sleep on the floor,” he said and Crutchie snorted.

“Weren’t you saying like a week ago that you can’t sleep on the floor?” He asked, poking fun at Jack’s obvious crush on David.

“What? I never said that,” he said, cheeks getting red at being caught in his lie.

Technically it was morning after the ordeal of picking David up and the two of them crawled into bed, lights going off and soft sounds of breathing in the room. Unfortunately, David didn’t sleep well at that hour. In his little town, the hours had been shifted. Their night was different than Jack and Crutchie’s for the sake of the people who came to view the exhibit. The owner had changed it to make sure the best possible hours for viewing were when the exhibit was open. David still felt like it was daytime. 

David explored quietly, finding the button that Jack had pushed to turn the lights off and pressing it himself. He was startled when it illuminated the room, staring at the light on the ceiling for a moment and trying to come to terms with what he’d done. He had seen lights before on the streets but having it so close, having control of it was new. His eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, mind trying to process it still. David looked over to where Jack and Crutchie rolled over, heads turning away from the light that had just come on. Neither of them said anything.

David walked over to one of the desks and looked at them. There was a large black object that stood upright, smooth to the touch. He didn’t know what it was but it resembled some of the lights he had seen out on the street the last couple of days. On the desk was another item that he picked up. It was long and a cold material in his hand. He didn’t know what it was called, running his fingers along it, bumps all along the face of it. They were made of a different material, his skin sticking slightly to it. He pressed on one, a light flashing at the top of the device. He was still surprised by everything in this new world. He continued pressing the buttons, staring down at the thing in his hand. He pressed one at the top, something flashing bright in front of him, noises starting up and it scared him. His first reaction was to throw what was in his hand without thinking. It went up and back, smacking into the wall. Jack and Crutchie jumped, sitting up quickly and looking around. 

They found David on the ground with a hand over his heart.

“Good God,” David said, staring at the object in front of him, the lights moving.

“He found the TV, Crutchie,” Jack groaned, rubbing his eyes and sighing. He got up and was about to turn the TV off when David yelled.

“No! Jack!” He crawled forward, slapping Jack’s hand away from the front of the TV. His hands went to the sides of it, frantic as he stared at the people moving inside the screen. “Jack, we have to help them. They are trapped. Are they like me? We need to find them and rescue them. The forest was horrible, the town,” he said, trailing off when Jack put his hands on David’s shoulders, gently pulling him away.

“David, they aren’t stuck, it’s,” he paused, looking back to Crutchie for help. Crutchie was already behind the camera, shaking his head at Jack.

“How?” He asked, sitting back and staring up at the TV.

“You know how Crutchie has the black thing following you?” He started, pointing towards where Crutchie sat with the camera pointed at the two of them. “Crutchie, bring it here, show him a video.”

Crutchie did as he was asked, leaving his good camera on the table and grabbing his phone instead. He showed David a video of himself, trying to give him some insight that while he saw himself moving, he wasn’t in the dorm, he was at the hospital when his hand had been cut. 

“See? Just like you. It,” Jack paused, gathering his thoughts, “This thing is called a camera. It recreates what happens and then plays it back like this. So on the TV, this has already happened and we get to see it now,” he explained and David was frowning, still lost but he was slowly understanding.

“Do they know that it’s 2019?” David asked and Jack couldn’t keep himself from laughing.

“Buddy, everyone knows it’s 2019 besides you,” he said, immediately feeling mean for how he said it, “But that’s okay,” he added to lighten his words.

David nodded and let Jack turn the TV off.

“Try and get some sleep?” Jack asked and David nodded, moving to the bed and laying down. It wasn’t easy but he eventually fell asleep to the sounds of Jack and Crutchie’s breathing.

Jack decided to skip class the next day. He didn’t feel right about leaving David alone and he was concerned that, left to his own devices, David would go off into the city and get lost in a world he didn’t even know. He felt like it was up to him to show David as much as he could. They had bonded, David following him moreso than he did with Crutchie. Jack didn’t complain.

He knew that David would never like him, that it wasn’t going to ever be anything besides friend. Crutchie had reminded him of that that morning. They both knew that Jack fell for people hard and fast, that his crushes were usually fleeting and short. He’d flirt with them, fall for them, and usually leave shortly after. But even Crutchie could tell that this felt different. Neither of them knew what was so different about David besides where he was from but he was. It wasn’t even the fact that they didn’t know if he was gay or not. Jack had openly flirted with straight men before. They stopped him quickly, telling him they weren’t interested and he’d apologize and leave. Rejection wasn’t an issue. So what was his deal with David?

“I feel like you should learn to read,” Jack said once David was up and starting his day. He yawned and looked at Jack.

“I have asked my parents to teach me before. We never had material to read so I never got the chance to read,” he said, a small smile on his face at the fact that he’d finally get to. Jack smiled back at him.

“What’re you going to teach him? A textbook?” Crutchie asked, rolling his eyes. Jack just continued smiling.

“No, a kids book. It’s easy to read once you get the hang of the words,” Jack replied, going to his desk and pulling a book out of it. He handed it to David, “It’s a book from my childhood. I can’t tell you the number of times that I read it.”

“Why do you even have that in your dorm of all places?” Crutchie asked and Jack shot him a look.

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to,” he said quickly. Jack moved up to sit on his bed, patting the spot next to him for David. They sat close together and Jack set the book on his lap.

“So, I don’t really know how to teach someone to read so I’ll read out loud and you try to follow along? Maybe?” He asked, confused himself. David nodded, seemed a little confused still but he was willing to try.

_ “Once upon a time, there was a yellow cat with black spots in his fur. His name was Pickles.” _

Every other page, Jack would sound out the words, pointing to them and having David repeat them. He picked it up quickly. His reading level was that of an elementary school but his ability to understand was much higher. David, at the end, was able to read a couple pages himself. He struggled over some words, Jack helping him through but he smiled when he was done.

_ “Mrs. Goodkind thanked Pickles. Then she said to him, “I always knew that someday you would do big things. Today you have done something very big.”  _

_ Pickles waved a paw at her, as if to say, “Mrs. Goodkind, this is only the beginning.” _

_ And he rode home to the firehouse- a proud and happy cat.” _

David smiled, setting the book down on his lap.

“Pickles is a very good cat,” he said, smiling at Jack.

Jack had an urge to lean in and kiss the smile off of David’s lips but he knew he couldn’t. He settled for patting David’s leg instead. 

It was dinner time and there wasn’t any food that was suitable for consumption. Jack offered to go out and pick some up.

“Davey, I’m going to show you some real food. It’s time you learn what pizza is,” Jack said, going to dig through his things for a jacket. He couldn’t find one that was clean so he settled for a hat he hadn’t seen in years. 

He went out, walking down the street to his favorite place. He ordered a pepperoni pizza, basic and easy. He figured that that would be the best introduction to pizza. They told him it would be a couple of minutes before it was cooked and ready to go so he had a few minutes to waste. He looked across the street and saw another restaurant that sold bubble tea. He smiled and ran across the street, dodging a car that honked at him.

He hadn’t had bubble tea in a while and knew Crutchie liked it too. He also thought that it would be nice to order one for David, too. It was just one more new experience to add to his growing list. Jack wanted to show David all of his favorite things and this was up there with them. He ordered three, picked up the pizza and walked back home. 

“What the hell is on your head?” Crutchie asked when Jack walked back in the door. He turned his head, a grin on his face.

“It’s like one of those old news boy hats. I had it from when Ms. Medda had me in one of her plays. I found it in my stuff and figured I’d wear it. Don’t I look great?” He asked and Crutchie rolled his eyes.

“No, you look dumb as hell,” he responded and Jack pouted. 

He set the food down and Crutchie lit up when he saw the bubble tea, grabbing the one Jack handed to him. He handed the other to David who took the cup and stared down at it. 

“Bubble tea, something new,” he said, taking a sip from his drink. David watched and put his lips to the straw.

Crutchie stood behind Jack, filming as often as he could. His documentary had changed from Jack to David, his adventure in their world and all that encompassed it. He had a decent amount of footage but something as menial as this was content he could add. 

David took a sip from his drink, pausing after he’d gotten some in his mouth. He frowned, eyebrows scrunching together and then his mouth opened, the boba rolling off of his tongue and landing on the bed. 

“You’re supposed to swallow, sweetheart,” Jack said, unable to contain himself and busting up laughing. David was just confused, looking between Jack and Crutchie before stopped on Jack.

“Why did my drink require chewing? Drinks are not supposed to be chewed,” he asked, looking down to his drink. 

“That’s just how this drink is,” Jack said and David seemed skeptical. He set the drink down and didn’t touch it again. Jack figured that he’d try and introduce him to bubble tea later. 

Crutchie really had no interest in YouTube as a platform for posting things. Maybe that was because any of his shorts he had posted before never got any attention. He wasn’t sure why he had the urge to post David on YouTube but he did. He thought that maybe people would find entertainment with his reaction to bubble tea since most people already knew what it was.

The clip he posted wasn’t very long, just about a minute. He had about 200 subscribers from his previous posts and figured that they would enjoy it. He really didn’t expect it to get any attention. Maybe a thousand views if he was lucky. But more than that? A lot more than that? He was shocked. 

** 1800’s boy tries boba for the first time !!**

_ @PonyLuvr14 _

_ OMG SO FUNNY _

_ @HypertonWoopie _

_ y is this the most clickbait title i’ve ever seen _

_ @Simulacrum _

_ I’m not one for clickbait but i’m intrigued _

_ @Corymbmxkmxk1 _

_ Guys, this isn’t clickbait. He genuinely believes he lives in the 1800’s _

_ [1800's exhibit website](https://gutrearranger.tumblr.com/post/188099460930/welcome) _

_ @mcrfobp!!atd _

_ @ that guy in the news boy hat tho !!! _

Crutchie was floored with the amount of people commenting, showing it to Jack.

He laughed at the fact that all they knew of Jack was the stupid hat he wore once.    
  
“Don’t look but you’re trending on Twitter right now,” Crutchie said a day later, scrolling through his mentions.

#WhoIsNewsboy? was one of the top tweeted lines of the day. 

“I wonder if we could get more views than that? Think people would watch?”

“Well, guess it looks like we need to prank Davey for some content, huh?”

Poprocks was their prank.

Crutchie tried to go easy on the guy, telling Jack it had to be something that we all knew and loved that would seem weird to someone from the 1800’s. That way he could argue that it wasn’t mean, it was mean  _ and  _ informative.

  
They sat David down on the couch, Jack holding the package out to him with Crutchie behind him. They decided not to show Jack’s face. There was a whole swarm of fans that were hanging on the fact that they didn’t know who news-boy was. They tweeted about it relentlessly, arguing over how attractive he was. One of Jack’s personal favorites was

_ @kumgizzler6000 _

_ #NewsBoy has to be attractive have u seen that jawline? _

Jack’s proud and rise to fame was his Twitter beef. About himself.

_ @jackkelly _

_ @kumgizzler6000 idk newsboy looks pretty ugly to me _

Jack had to turn his phone off when he started receiving hate for calling news boy, himself, ugly.

“What do I do with these?” David asked as he took the package of poprocks from Jack.

“You tear open the package and dump them in your mouth. It’s just some candy,” he said, smiling. Crutchie was trying to keep himself from chuckling.

“Like the chocolate candy you gave me?” He asked and Jack shook his head.

“There’s a lot of different types of candy. Don’t worry, I’ll show you all of them,” he said, getting a small smile from David. 

He tore the package open and poured the candy into his mouth, closing and then staring into the camera.

“This candy does not have much flavor,” he said, pausing and then frowning. “Jack, help, please help me. There is something wrong with the candy,” he said, and Jack laughed.

“Open your mouth and I’ll help you,” Jack teased but David still didn’t understand so Jack left the frame to grab a glass of water. David sat there with his mouth open, concern evident in his eyes as he watched Jack. “Drink this,” he said, handing the cup to David. He swallowed down the entire glass before setting it next to him. 

Crutchie, of course, posted that clip to YouTube as well. With the amount of subscriptions he’d gotten in the last couple of days, he felt that he needed something else to keep the new fans entertained. 

** 1800’s boy tricked with poprocks !!! (NOT clickbait)**

_ @kumgizzler6000 _

_ ok but y arent they showing news boy?? _

_ @trashgod _

_ @CrutchieProductions ummm show news boys face already _

_ @prazemojo _

_ Is it just me or does it seem like news boy is flirting with 1800s boy? _

The video blew up more than the boba one had. Jack couldn’t open up any social media without seeing himself and David plastered everywhere. He never saw his face but it was painfully obvious that it was him. Everyone was talking about him and David, together, not together. Crutchie was the only person named that had social media and he was hundreds of thousands up since before the video came out. 

Logically, it was time for another video to post. The other two had been pretty tame, just something weird and unique to the 21st century. This prank might have been bordering on mean.

David was sat on the couch again with Jack crouching in front of him. He was fiddling with the coke and mentos, keeping them out of sight of the camera. 

“What’re we doing today?” Crutchie asked once he had his camera set up. Jack just grinned, looking up to David.

“Well, I figured it was time to show off all of the practicing Davey has been doing. Can you read the labels for me?” Jack asked, handing the first thing to David.

“Coke?” He said, pronouncing it wrong the first time and repeating it correctly when Jack said it. “And Mentos,” he finished, smiling when Jack nodded that he had gotten it right.

“Good job, Davey,” he said, patting his knee and standing up.

“Will this pop in my mouth like the candy you showed me?” David asked, eyes worried as he watched Jack open the two things. 

“No, it won’t,” he said, standing up and handing the bottle of coke to David, “Here’s what’s going to happen. You hold these and when I drop this mento into your bottle, drink. Tastes amazing,” Jack said, showing him what the mento looked like. Jack grinned, could feel the disappointment radiating off of Crutchie who had tried to convince Jack to do anything but this.

Jack dropped the mento and David brought it to his lips like he was told but it was only seconds before the drink fizzed, shooting up and Jack only felt slightly bad when David choked, coughing and the drink coming out his nose instead. Jack covered his mouth, laughing until David had recovered from his coughing fit. 

“That happened to me once. Except it wasn’t soda, it was c-”

“No! Not in my documentary!” Crutchie shouted and it just made Jack laugh harder.

_ @b_dark_soncalash _

_ news boy whAT CAME OUT YOUR NOSE _

_ @addlenie7 _

_ @b_dark_soncalash im taking some asl interpreting courses and one of our units was on lip reading, if i could see his face, i would be pretty certain he said cum there! _

_ @saltpupbesom _

_ @addlenie7 i didnt need any fancy classes to know he said cum _

_ @looneyislonely _

_ okay but can we talk about how flirty news boy is? _

_ @luguburis _

_ Why is this so weirdly cute? _

_ @cmikeketjak _

_ new ship, love the gei _

Jack thought it was time that Crutchie was pranked. He explained it to David but the concept went over his head so Jack just smiled and told him he’d do fine.

“Crutchie!” Jack yelled, standing behind David so Crutchie could get a good shot of him. “Now just stick that fork in those little holes,” he told David, pointing towards the outlet on the wall.

Crutchie came running into the room, yelling at Jack and David, telling them both to stop. Jack couldn’t help his laughter. He calmed down after a minute when it seemed like Crutchie was on the verge of a heart attack.

“Dude, it’s a plastic fork,” he said in between laughs, Crutchie not finding it as funny.

“Were you in on this, David?” Crutchie asked, trying to regain control of his breathing. David looked to Jack who nodded and then he looked back at Crutchie.

“Yes.”

_ @gutrearranger _

_ im glad that 1800s boy is finally getting his payback. next he needs to prank news boy _

They were bored one night and Jack was fresh out of pranks. He pulled out a book and maybe it was the ever growing crush on David that lead him to compare him to the main character. He walked out into the living room where David was sitting on the couch, his cheeks flushed. He couldn’t look up and make eye contact.

Crutchie gave him a weird look because it wasn’t Jack to be shy. He knew though that Jack wasn’t a relationship guy. He had flings, had fun for a week or so and moved on but that wasn’t his approach with David. This was different. Crutchie didn’t want to get his or Jack’s hopes up but Jacks's feelings seemed real.

“Do you want me to read to you?” Jack asked and David looked at him confused.

“I thought you were encouraging me to read on my own now?” He asked and Jack felt his whole face grow warm.

“I know but this book is a little more challenging than the books I’ve been giving you,” he said, turning so his back was to Crutchie, he could feel his friends stare, “And to tell you the truth, I feel like you and the main character are similar. Maybe you could relate and understand him.” David smiled at him, moving so there was room next to him on the couch.

“Who is it?” He asked as Jack sat down.

“Harry Potter.”

They sat together and at one point, Jack leaned back against the arm rest, feet kicked out across the couch. David moved, laying down with his head on Jack’s chest and Jack’s arms holding the book around his shoulders. David ended up falling asleep like that, Jack looking down and noticing the closed eyes and peaceful expression. He kept reading though until his own eyes started closing, the book lowering and landing on David’s shoulder.

Crutchie had come out to get food from the kitchen, seeing them asleep together. He didn’t wake them, leaving them to cuddle and enjoy their sleep but he did take a photo. It was perfect blackmail for later, plus, it was documenting Jack’s first experience with feelings.

They were still waiting to hear back from Pulitzer, the three of them sitting at the desk and eating some food. David had been quiet but he was slowly opening up to Jack.

“What made you leave that first night?” Jack asked. He had heard about why David left that last night, because his brother was ill and he was worried but David had been so confused and disoriented that they didn’t get much from him the first night.

“My parents wished for me to wed Elizabeth,” he said, looking down at the bowl of Chinese he’d been given.

“But you didn’t want to marry her? Don’t you like her?” Jack asked, leaning back in his chair.

“No, I do not want to marry her. She is lovely but not for me,” he explained, looking up to Jack and shrugging. Jack looked over to Crutchie out of the corner of his eyes. Crutchie sighed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. He knew where this conversation was going. 

“Was there someone else that you liked instead of her?” David thought for a minute and then shook his head.

“No, there was no one in there that had my eye,” he explained.

“There’s plenty of girls out here for you to find,” Jack said, pausing and shrugging, “Or guys if that’s more your style.” David gave Jack a weird look and Crutchie decided he didn’t want to be around for the rest of this conversation.

“I’m going to shower,” he said, leaving the camera and eyeing Jack, “Don’t be dumb.”

“Ignore him,” Jack said quietly once Crutchie was out of earshot.

“Boys can be together?” David asked, leaning in and whispering.    
  
“Oh, yeah,” Jack said, whispering back because he knew that David’s mindset was entirely different, “Things are different now. You can love whoever you want to love,” he explained and David seemed to think about it for a few minutes. Jack let him have his silence to think, not wanting to push the subject too hard. He was from the 1800’s after all.

“So two boys can kiss the way my mother and father had?” He asked and Jack tried to keep his face from going red.

“Yes, they can even get married.”

David didn’t talk for a long time and Jack was worried that it was too much for him.

“How do you know so much?” David asked and Jack shrugged. He didn’t want to bring up the fact that he wasn’t straight and weird David out with a new concept that is probably taboo for him.

“Well, I guess growing up in 2019, you learn it all. You’re still adjusting, it’s okay,” he said, smiling and patting David’s knee. 

“Do you like boys?” David asked finally and Jack didn’t want to say he was expecting it but he was. 

  
  


“I do, yeah,” he said, shocked that David didn’t seem to recoil or even appear disgusted with that fact.

“What is it like to kiss a boy?” He asked and if it was anyone else, he’d shoot back with ‘why don’t you find out?’ but it was David. He didn’t want to scare him and there was something in his heart that wanted to protect him, to keep him. Jack hated that David was different but he couldn’t flirt like the playboy he usually was.

“It’s-” he stopped, at a loss for how to even explain it, “I don’t have words to explain it, honestly. It just feels right,” he said.

It shouldn't have been a surprise to Jack when David leaned in and pressed his lips to Jack’s. It was though, because Jack wanted it so badly but he knew that David didn’t know any different. He didn’t know any better and it was just because Jack was there and admitting he was queer. Jack pushed David away, frowning as he leaned back in his chair. 

He pushed David away because he knew that David was a rebel from the 1800’s. He wasn’t gay, he wasn’t into Jack, he just didnt want to marry some girl. Jack was just the person who was helping him get his little brother some medicine. After that, David would surely go back or maybe run off with his brother but neither of those outcomes included Jack. 

Jack was merely a placeholder. 

Neither of them knew what to say, a tension falling over them quickly. It was broken by Crutchie coming in, clearing his throat when he noticed how tense things were. Jack looked over to him briefly before he stood up and headed for the door.

“I’m gonna go get everyone food, be back later,” he said, shutting the door behind him and not even giving Crutchie a chance to respond.

“What happened?” Crutchie asked, looking to his camera. It was still recording, he had all of the footage but this seemed to be a more personal matter. David looked about as upset as Jack did before he stormed out of the room. 

“Was it wrong to have kissed him?” David asked, suddenly looking unsure along with being upset.

“Oh, shit,” Crutchie said, walking over and sitting down in the chair Jack had been in before he left, “Uh, wait, you kissed him?” David frowned.

“Was I not supposed to? He told me about how two men could be together now and I wanted to see for myself what it was like,” he explained and Crutchie made an uncomfortable sound in the back of his throat.

“Well, you see, that’s probably what his problem is. I can’t speak for Jack, this is a conversation that you need to have but typically people don’t like being a ‘just to see’ sort of thing. Does that make sense?” He asked and David thought for a minute before nodding.

“Would it be appropriate to tell him that I liked the kiss?” He asked and Crutchie felt a small smile on his lips.

“Yes, I think that would be appropriate,” he said and David smiled.

“He is different. There were other boys in my town and we were friends like I am friends with you. I am not friends with Jack like I am with others,” he explained and Crutchie nodding. He knew that he was different compared to Jack. 

There was an instance where Crutchie had touched David’s back to guide him through a crowd of people and David instantly recoiled from his touch. They both apologized and carried on but Crutchie watched Jack do the same thing, sometimes more and David didn’t move away. He stepped closer to Jack and leaned into him. 

  
Crutchie hadn’t been sure for awhile if it was because there was something he had for Jack or if it was just because Jack was always a touchy sort of person from the beginning.

They were silent for a few minutes before the door slammed. Jack came back inside quickly, without food since it was a blatant lie. He seemed on edge and Crutchie raised his eyebrow.

“Pulitzer called while I was out. He invited us to dinner at his place tomorrow to talk things out,” he explained, nodding at David when he said hello.

“Can we talk?” He asked, Crutchie excusing himself from the room. 

  
“Don’t worry about it, Davey, it didn’t mean anything, yeah? We can just forget about it and move on,” he said, laying down and giving David a halfhearted smile, “I’m tired though, it’s okay.”

David was left speechless, staring at Jack’s back, feeling his heart sink in his chest.

“Good night,” he whispered, grabbing The Firehouse Cat and reading it until he got tired.

Jack didn’t know what to expect or do when going to meet such a rich businessman. Crutchie smiled, handing him a shirt. 

“This one would be good to wear,” he explained. Jack gave him a questioning look. 

“Since when do you pick out my outfits?” Jack asked and Crutchie hesitated for a second before shrugging. 

“Since you’re going to meet with someone prim and proper and you are clueless sometimes,” he said and Jack rolled his eyes. 

Him and David got ready, Crutchie waving as they left. 

“You are not coming?” David asked, watching as Crutchie was heating up food in their small microwave. 

“My legs been acting up, I’m gonna stay back and rest,” he said and even Jack was curious about the validity of that statement. 

David still wasn’t good in the taxi, holding tight to Jack’s hand that was offered for comfort. David was too anxious to notice how red Jack’s face got, even in light of the awkward tension from the night before. 

The house was nice. A two story building just outside of the city. It was obvious from the outside and the decorations they could see through the window that someone wealthy lived there. They knocked and were greeted by an older man. He introduced himself, thanking them for coming and getting everything figured out. 

“I had dinner prepared and some drinks. I realized at the last minute that the two of you are not old enough for the drinks I prepare and, well, I don’t know what you kids are drinking these days,” he said, looking slightly apologetic as he handed the two of them a glass with a bright red liquid. 

“Kool-Aid?” Jack asked, raising his eyebrows. Pulitzer laughed awkwardly. 

“A bit too young?” He asked and Jack smiled, waving it off. 

They sat down for dinner, David talking mostly about his concern for his little brother. 

“He has never been so sick,” David explained, sipping his drink in between sentences for lack of what to say. He had drunken about half of his glass. Jack took a sip, nose scrunching slightly at how sweet it was. 

It seemed Pulitzer didn’t have any small children that he was around often which might excuse the poorly made Kool-Aid that bordered on gross but to be this extremely sweet? Something didn’t sit well with Jack about that. 

“I see, David, I am so sorry to have worried you. I hope you know that this will be addressed quickly and he will be given the care he needs. Thank you for caring so much,” he said, his voice too sweet for the look in his eyes.

“And you were the young man who took him from the exhibit,” Pulitzer said, directing his statement to Jack. It was phrased as if it was a question but Jack could hear the accusations in his tone. 

“I think took is a strong word here. I was out walking and bumped into him. He was confused and since I didn’t expect a boy from the 1800’s, I assumed he was strung out on something,” he explained, trying to be polite. There was something off about everything. It wasn’t often that Jack had enough brain cells to think about his environment critically but in those rare moments, his gut never lied to him. He didn’t want to be there anymore but he couldn’t articulate why. 

“Do you make it a habit of taking in drug addicts then?” He asked, eyes drifting to David, smiling, then back to Jack. 

“No, I don’t believe it’s a habit,” he said, not sure how to explain that one to a stranger. Somehow, wanting to get laid didn’t seem to be appropriate dinner conversation. 

“‘S sleepy,” David mumbled, leaning back into his chair. Jack turned and his eyebrows scrunched together. He wasn’t sure why David was so tired, close to falling asleep in his dinner. Jack’s eyes drifted to David’s drink that was almost gone. He couldn’t be sure but he had a suspicion. 

“I have a spare room upstairs if you would like to take him up to rest. We can finish our chat down here,” Pulitzer said and Jack seemed to have no choice but to agree. 

Jack helped David upstairs, finding the bedroom and laying him down. 

Pulitzer had requested that Jack speak with him after David had laid down to rest. He wasn’t sure what more there was to say. 

“I am very disappointed in how long it took you to inform me where one of my members had gone. No word, no note? David just gone? That is frightening for a man in my position,” he said and Jack didn’t like where this was going. He knew there was something off about the situation and he was trying to find a way out of it. 

“Why in me? You don’t own a human being. He was born into the wrong world. It isn’t fair to him or anyone else that you keep them locked up like animals and then punish them because they explore the world they should be in?” Jack said, knowing that it was rude to say that but he genuinely felt that. It seemed that David was having a lot of fun seeing the world he’s missed out on. Who was this man in front of him to keep it away from David and the rest of them.

“I think you’re out of your league, boy,” Pulizter said, the smile on his face bordering evil. Pulitzer quickly schooled his face and his smile softened. “Are you from the area?” He asked finally and Jack nodded.

“Born and raised,” he said, trying to follow the path of the conversation but his mind seemed to drag.

“I take it you live with your parents then?” He asked and Jack shook his head.

“They both died in a car wreck,” he said, neglecting to mention that was when he was a young child and he’d been adopted.

“How sad, nobody to realize you’ve been gone too long,” Pulitzer said, his smile growing and sending shivers down Jack’s spine. He should have realized what it meant but his brain couldn’t quite catch up. 

Jack would have responded if it weren’t for the fact that he suddenly started to feel tired. It was the last red flag. He didn’t like being there, he wished Crutchie was there to help him understand. 

“You know, I might join David upstairs. Do you mind?” He asked and Pulizter shook his head, waving his hand in the direction of the stairs.

“Make yourself at home up there,” he said and Jack nodded stiffly.

He walked upstairs and instead of going to the bedroom where David was, he found the bathroom. Jack kneeled in front of the toilet and sighed, wincing at the thought. 

“Fuck,” he mumbled, reaching up and pushing his fingers down his throat, holding them there while he gagged until he threw up. 

He knew deep down that Pulizter had spiked their drink with something. He wasn’t sure what but there was no way he would be tired this early in the night unless he was given something. Whatever it was was already in his system but he was hoping he got out anything else that might be lingering. 

Jack knew there was no reason for someone to have made Kool-Aid that sweet unless it was covering up a taste. He was just mad that he didn’t listen to his gut sooner.

He went into the bedroom, waking David up and all but dragging him to the bathroom.

“Come on, I need you to do this one thing for me,” he said, David’s eyes half open as he looked at Jack.

“I just want sleep,” he mumbled and Jack sighed, closing the door behind them as he lowered David to the floor in front of the toilet.

“I’m really sorry about this,” Jack said. David opened his mouth to respond but no words came out.

Jack probably should have worried about getting bit and losing some fingers in the process but he was fueled by adrenaline and his worry about what they had been given. David gagged, grabbing at Jack’s wrist and trying to pull his hand away. Jack cringed, the guilt rising as he moved so he could push his fingers in farther. Finally, David’s body gave up and he threw up, tears streaming down his face.

“I’m so sorry,” Jack said, wiping his hand off on a hand towel that was by the sink. He hurried David back to bed, laying him down, “I’m going to go downstairs and get you a glass of water, I’m sorry.”

Jack left the room, walking down the stairs quietly. He stopped, frozen in place when he heard voices. He peaked around the corner. It seemed Pulitzer was on the phone with someone.

“I have the two upstairs. It worked like a charm, they should both be fast asleep by now. No, they know too much. I can’t have them talking to the media when everything gets out. We have to do this now. Their lives are over and I will make sure of it. David has no one once we get rid of the rest of this failing exhibit and this dumb boy who took him in has no one. His family died. Perfect for me. No one to miss him. Just get me a good lawyer who can keep me from a murder conviction,” he said and Jack felt his stomach drop. He saw the flash of a gun in his hand.

There were only a few options that went through his head. Sure, they could make a run for it. Jack wasn’t super keen on testing his luck against a gun though. He ran up to the bedroom and saw a window. That was his last option. Jack didn’t  _ want  _ to jump out a window but between that and dying, he’d do just about anything.

His heart was racing and he didn’t even have time to feel bad about waking David up.

“Come on, get up. We need to leave,” Jack said hurriedly and it seemed that David heard the urgency in his voice.

“What is going on?” He asked. Jack didn’t speak. He was opening the window, stepping back to kick the screen out. He looked down and shrugged. At least there was grass. It was still a two story drop.

“We’re going out this way,” he said, seeing David’s eyes widen. “I cannot jump. This is too high!”

“Try to land,” Jack said, stepping back and taking a deep breath before he pushed David off the window sill. 

He leaned over the edge to see how it worked out, watching as David fell, tipping forward and catching himself. Jack was just impressed he didn’t land on his face.

“Move,” Jack said, trying his hardest to keep quiet. He heard the stairs creak outside the door. He took another deep breath before he jumped off the windowsill, landing on his feet. He stumbled for a second, grabbing the collar of David’s shirt and all but dragging him. “We need to leave.”

Jack cut through back alleys whenever he could. This was the area of New York that he didn’t know so well. He avoided rich neighborhoods because he had no business there. He wanted to stay off of main roads. If Pulitzer could bring a gun out and threaten to kill them, he surely wouldn’t let them just run away and get away with that.

“Please, no more. I cannot carry on,” David said, stumbling behind Jack who was holding his hand. 

“You need to keep running,” he said, pulling David.

They came out on a main road, busy enough that people would notice if they were shot but more likely, they’d blend into the crowd. He stood on the sidewalk, waving down a taxi. One pulled over and Jack pushed David in first before getting in himself.

“The university, please,” he said, gasping for air. The taxi driver gave him a weird look in the mirror but Jack didn’t care. 

He looked over to David who was slumped against the door. He wished he knew where his phone was. The cab ride seemed to take far too long.

“Could I trouble you to help him up to the dorm? He took too many drugs, ya feel?” He said, laughing slightly at the annoyed look he got from the driver. 

“Only if it keeps you from never getting in my cab again,” he said, voice gruff.

Jack didn’t wait for the cab driver, just giving him the number of their room and vague directions. He took off running up the stairs, taking them two at the time and barreling through the door. Crutchie was confused at how panicked Jack was.

“Give me your phone,” he said, getting annoyed when Crutchie tried to ask what was happening instead of handing over the phone. Jack ripped it out of his hands, turning away from Crutchie who was moving across the room to turn his camera on.

Jack dialed 911, finally taking a deep breath when he saw the cab driver bringing David in and dropping him on the bed.

“I need cops or something. This guy drugged me and my friend and then tried to kill us,” Jack said, ignoring when Crutchie yelled.

It was a blur when people started coming in and out of their room. There were cops and medics and firefighters, all of them asking him questions and he stopped being able to take notice of the different uniforms. There were students in the hall that were being ushered back by other cops, but it was all too loud.

“Is David okay?” He asked, looking back. 

It was a cop who was talking to him.

“They’re saying he has a fever. Probably what they gave you. We are in the process of getting the both you of you medical attention,” he said, trying to calm Jack down he was quickly getting panicked.

Two stretchers were brought up and David was the first one to get taken away. Jack heard bits and pieces of what the medics said.

“High fever.”

“Shock.”

“Is he gonna be okay?” Jack yelled after them, hands on him, guiding him to his own stretcher. 

“Hey, we need you to focus here for a second, what’s your name?” Someone said to him and he looked down, barely noticing the camera that had been pointed at him.

“Jack,” he said, the adrenaline making it hard to think straight. He looked at Crutchie when the medics started assessing him.

“Dude, we had to jump from a second story building. You should have seen it, I landed that shit perfectly. On my feet. Sure, I stumbled a little bit but I landed it! Bet I would have made you proud,” he said. 

One of the medics coughed, trying to cover up his laugh. Crutchie slowly panned the camera down to Jack’s ankle. The bones weren’t coming out of the skin but the bone was obviously poking at the skin, swelling and bruises already forming. 

“Yeah, landed it,” Crutchie said, moving the camera back to Jack’s face. 

  
“Wait, why did you do that? Why was the camera on my foot?” Jack asked, leaning up to peer over the medic who was at his arm. “Oh God, oh my God, that is broken broken,” he said, starting to hyperventilate.

“Okay, we’re going to give you something to help calm you down,” the medic said, pushing medicine into the IV they had placed in his arm.

They took him out, Crutchie being told he couldn’t ride in the ambulance. 

He was probably lucky. It was complete chaos with people talking, hands exchanging items and he was too tired and dizzy to pay attention.

“Is David okay? Where is David? I need to be with him,” he mumbled, trying to move away from the medic’s hand. He felt his vein in his arm get cold as more medicine was pumped into his body and then his eyes closed. 

Jack woke up to blinding pain, the hands on his legs making everything worse. He was screaming and being held down.

“Stay calm, sir, we had to set your leg after your break,” someone said and it didn’t help, “We’re going to give you something to help with the pain now, try to relax.”

Jack’s eyes were closing again, whatever the doctor gave him was putting him back under. He was almost there when he heard his name being called.

“Jack! Jack, you need to help me! They’re trying to kill me!” David yelled, his gourney passing by Jack’s curtained off space. They made eye contact and Jack wished he could be with him.

“It’s okay, Davey! I’ll make sure you’re safe!” He yelled back, trying to sit up against the hands holding him down. 

“Relax,” was the last thing he heard.

He woke up in a room, still feeling a little hazy from the meds.

“How are you?” He heard, turning his head to see Crutchie sitting in a chair against the wall. He smiled, noticing the camera.   
  
“Really?” He asked and Crutchie shrugged.

“You come home talking about a gun and shit, of course!” He said and Jack couldn’t argue. He yawned. 

“Cops are here,” Crutchie said, nodding to where they were in the hall, “They wanted to talk to you.”

It wasn’t long before they came in, introducing themselves to Jack and asking what happened.

“I-” Jack started, feeling overwhelmed trying to remember. Crutchie piped up.

“Officer? I can give you footage. I hid a small camera on Jack when he left. I can upload that and give you all of it,” he said and the officers seemed stunned while Jack seemed shocked at his friend.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?” Jack asked and Crutchie rolled his eyes.

“Dude, you can’t be subtle,” Crutchie said and Jack pouted.

“Can too,” he mumbled and Crutchie let it drop, turning to the officers.

“That, uh, makes our job pretty easy,” he said and Crutchie smiled as they left.

“I’m disappointed in you,” Jack whispered, taking his attention away from Crutchie to look around the room. He didn’t see David anywhere. “Is he okay?” Jack asked and Crutchie rolled his eyes.

“One track mind, huh? Yes, he’s okay. Up a floor or something. I walked by and he was asleep,” Crutchie said, watching as Jack’s lips twitched up into a smile for a moment before he cleared his throat, hiding it from his friend.

“Good, I’m glad he’s okay,” he said, his voice level. 

“You know, I saw what happened,” Crutchie said, crossing his arms over his chest. Jack watched him, eyes squinting. He had a good guess of what he meant but he didn’t want to admit it out loud. He wasn’t sure he even wanted to admit it to himself. 

“Watched the footage with that Pulitzer dick?” He asked. He tried to joke it off, hide the fact that he didn’t like where this conversation was going.

“Jack, you know what I mean. I saw what happened that night.” Jack looked down, wishing he could sink further into the bed and hide. He felt his heart tighten a little. 

“Look, can we drop it? I was just talking about gay shit and he was confused and curious. I already know it meant nothing and I don’t want to be reminded of it, okay?” He said, immediately jumping to the defense. Crutchie sighed, wishing it was appropriate to slap sense into a person.

“You really like him, don’t you?” 

Jack didn’t answer.

  
“Fine, ignore that question but I know you. This isn’t you normally, I can tell. You should also know that after you stormed off like a baby, he talked to me,” Crutchie explained, feeling a little smug that he knew more than Jack did, that he knew Jack was making nothing into something.

“He did?” Jack asked, some form of hope leaking into his voice.

“I suggest you talk to him,” Crutchie said and Jack, pursed his lips for a moment.

“Now?” 

“I don’t care. It’s room 420.”

He rolled out of bed, tying the hospital gown tighter around him, grabbing the IV stand as he started walking. He realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t easy to walk in the cast that they had put on him. He limped to the elevator, getting a few looks from nurses that passed by. He smiled politely at them and nobody stopped him.

Finding the room was easy enough. Finding the courage to walk in was not as easy. He stared for a few moments at David. He was sleeping, his face more relaxed than Jack had seen it the entire time he had been with Jack. He smiled, wanting to see that peacefulness more, but specifically with himself. 

He walked into the room finally, looking around for a chair to sit in but there wasn’t one. He frowned, stepping forward and sitting on the edge of David’s bed.

“Hey,” he whispered, David moving in bed, eyes blinking open slowly.

“Jack?” He whispered back, trying to sit up a little more in his bed.

“How are you feeling?” He asked and David shrugged, looking down at his hand where he had a matching IV tube.

“I do not like hospitals,” he said and Jack couldn’t help his laugh.

“Me either,” he said, smiling for a second before it fell, “Look, I’m sorry about being so weird. I just felt bad about the,” he was going to continue but David cut him off.

“The kiss?” He prompted and Jack hated how warm his face felt.

“Yes, the kiss,” he said, unsure what more he should say. He knew Crutchie wanted him to sort this out but sort what out? He didn’t know what he felt or what David felt. Logically, he should ask but for once in his life, the words stuck in his throat. Flirting didn’t come naturally in this moment, or any moment with David. At some point he stopped being another conquest. 

“Do you think that I did not enjoy the kiss?” He asked after a moment. It seemed he had been waiting for Jack to continue but filled in the silence that didn’t have an end.

“So you’re implying that you liked the kiss?” Jack asked, letting himself breathe again. He smiled when David nodded. David reached out and squeezed Jack’s hand, holding onto it like they’d done it a thousand times before. 

“Would it make you happy if I implied that I would want a kiss again?” He asked and Jack stared for a moment, trying to process the words. He felt his heart pause for a moment.

“I would only kiss you if you were sure you wanted it,” he said and David nodded again.

“I would enjoy it if you kissed me again.”

Jack didn’t need to be told twice.

He leaned down, being careful not to crush David into the bed. His lips were soft and he took the moment to try and remember as much as possible. He was able to enjoy this one without the anxiety of if he had pressured it with his words.

Jack kept the kiss short and sweet. He planned on baby steps with anything to do with David. He wanted to make sure he was happy and comfortable.

“Again,” David whispered, his hands fluttering between Jack’s lap and his chest, unsure what to do with them. Jack obliged, leaning down to steal another kiss from him, sighing as he sat back up.

“You’re cut off for now. I’ll break my back if I keep leaning down like that,” he said, laughing as he sat up and tried to stretch his back out. He heard the door to David’s room slide open behind him and a nurse stood there.

“Sir, what are you doing in here?” She asked him. He made a face at her, looking back to David.

“Visiting my friend?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. “What’s with the mask?” He asked and she looked down the hall, waving down another nurse.

“Sir, this room is a quarantine. We believe David has a contagious disease and are testing him now. I’m not sure if you didn’t notice the bright yellow sign on the door that said only authorized personnel,” he explained and Jack swallowed.

“Oh,” was all he could manage, rubbing his lips for a moment. He was debating on if he should tell the nurse. “Guess I should go,” he said, standing up. He didn’t make it anywhere. As soon as he put his foot on the ground he crumpled. Pain radiated up his body, his nerves feeling like they all got set on fire. He yelled, grabbing at his leg but he couldn’t with the cast in the way.

The nurse rushed to his side, calling for a wheelchair.

“Did you walk here?” She asked and Jack got a yes out in between pants. 

“I do believe your leg is broken, you shouldn’t be walking on it,” she said. Her and the other nurse helped him into the wheelchair. 

They took him back to his room and the doctor sighed.

“Well, Jack. Since you walked on your cast before your bones had any time to heal, we’re going to have to reset them. Re-reset? Either way, this isn’t going to be fun. I will give you some more pain meds to make this as easy for you as possible. Is that okay?” He asked, watching as they played with the tubes in his arms. 

The cast was cut off of his foot and Jack was lucky that the pain meds kicked in before they twisted his foot, pushing the bones back to where they should be.

“Smooches,” Jack slurred, the pain meds dulling the ache in his leg. 

“What?” Crutchie asked, eyebrows raising when Jack only responded with a lopsided grin.

“Smooches,” he clarified.

“Take a nap,” Crutchie said, the words slowly getting distorted, “She’s on her way,” he finished and Jack could hear his pulse shoot up.

“Who?” He asked, falling asleep to someone laughing.

His eyes blinked open, the room spinning as he tried to figure out and remember where he was again.

“Boy,” he heard someone say, her voice all too familiar. A loopy grin spread on his face.

“Miss Medda,” he slurred, the pain medicine they gave him still strong.

“How dare you? You go from calling me every couple of nights to not talking to me for two weeks! The only reason I find out you’re alive is because the cops call me tellin’ me you’re in the hospital?” She asked, shaking her head at Jack and then turning to Crutchie. “You two are trouble. What the hell even happened?”

Jack took a deep breath, his smile growing. 

“Miss Medda, we were out and we found a guy from the 1800’s. We kidnapped him to help him because he was stuck in that building,” he paused, looking to Crutchie for help. Crutchie looked like he was almost in tears with the narration, “Oh, yeah! We were going to save his brother and we almost got shot. I jumped out a window and landed it perfectly.” 

Medda looked down at the cast on his foot and snorted.

“Crutchie, I swear, if you lie to me,” she said, looking over to him. She didn’t seem to believe Jack’s words.

“Miss Medda, I hate to tell you this but everything he just said is true,” Crutchie said, pinching his lips together to try and keep himself from laughing. 

“Who is this boy you’re talking about?” She asked, turning her attention back to Jack. 

“David, my friend,” he said, looking over to Crutchie. He responded to Jack’s look with a shrug. Crutchie didn’t feel the need to correct the fact that he knew otherwise. 

  
“How..” She started, getting cut off as the doctor came into the room.

“Gentleman, I have some news. We have found out that David was exposed to diphtheria. We are concerned because of the epidemic it once caused. We do have easier ways to test and much better ways to treat and cure it thankfully but we need to know now if either of you could have been exposed,” the doctor said and Crutchie and Jack shared a look.

“How is it passed?” Crutchie asked, worried for himself and Jack now.

“Don’t worry. It is not airborne. If you have shared a drink or any other way of saliva being shared, I need to know.”

Jack looked to Crutchie and noticed the evil smirk. 

“No, we never shared a drink. Neither of us were exposed, right Jack?” He asked, teasing his friend. He wanted to throw him under the bus just to watch him squirm under his mothers stare but it was also out of concern. If Jack had gotten it from David then he needed to be treated. Jack’s face fell at his friends words and he sawllowed, looking down to his lap.

It wasn’t that he was scared of Medda or that she’d disapprove, he knew she’d be upset at finding out this way. She was a bit of a traditionalist being from the south. She wanted to sit them down for dinner when she first met Jack’s new lover. She wanted to protect her boy and figure out who he was with but this was not her ideal way.

“Jack!” She said, shaking her head.

“Okay! There might have been one, a couple, kisses shared,” he mumbled and the doctor nodded. It wasn’t his job to care about what Jack did, just treat any issues that came up.

“We’ll test you and treat if it comes back positive,” the doctor said.

It came back negative, luckily for Jack. He was discharged from the hospital but even then, he spent most of his time in David’s room while he recovered. He spent most of his time in David’s room teaching him to read Harry Potter. It had quickly become David’s favorite. He did relate to the character, the feeling of finding a new and big world where everything was different. He loved the adventure. 

Jack stopped reading when the door to David’s room opened and two police officers walked in.

“David?” They asked, looking to him when he nodded, “We need to talk to you.”

“Okay,” he said, reaching out to Jack’s hand. Jack squeezed it for silent comfort.

“Are you okay with your friend being here?” They asked and sighed when David nodded. “I wish that we didn’t have to tell you this. The, uh, exhibit where you were from,” he started, folding his hands in front of himself, “We went to release the rest of your family and friends and were unfortunate to find the scene. It seems that when he took Pulitzer into custody, he had already released diptheria to your community. Nobody survived, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Jack was stunned into silence at the news, not knowing how to process the fact that everyone he had grown up watching was dead. He didn’t know how to process that that was amplified for David. Those were people he had grown up with. That was his little brother that he risked his own safety to try and get help for. His parents, his friends, everyone he knew besides Jack and Crutchie was gone and Jack couldn’t even fathom that. 

He felt David’s hand go limp in his. 

David asked him to leave the room for a little.

Jack came back to the room, David asking him to read before but it was different. David was visibly upset, he didn’t talk and he didn’t smile. Jack didn’t know what he could even do. He didn’t know how to even help. 

When he was released, the doctors asked if David had anywhere to go, a place to stay. Jack nodded.

“He can stay with me. I’ll help him get settled and eventually get a job so he can take care of himself,” Jack said and David gave a half hearted smile.

“Thank you,” he said to Jack. The doctor smiled and escorted Jack out of the room so David could change into spare clothes the hospital provided so he had more than a hospital gown.

“You have a very good friend,” the doctor said and David nodded, a smile finally coming to his face.

“I know.”

Crutchie and Medda noticed the sadness in David. Jack had updated them on what happened, urging them not to talk about it or dwell on it. They agreed.

“David,” Medda said when they stepped foot in the house. She opened her arms for a hug, frowning for a second when David, shied away from her, leaning into Jack. “That’s okay, hun,” she said, smiling once again.

“Thank you for the warm home,” he said and she nodded.

“Now, boy, I know Jack tries but I think you haven’t had a real meal. So special just for you, I’m making my famous, all homemade spaghetti. I spent all yesterday making the sauce and all today on the noodles and meatballs. This is Jack’s favorite dinner to date,” she said, grinning at Jack’s shocked expression.

“Ma! I’ve been asking for that on birthdays and special nights for years and you refuse!” He accused and she waved her finger at him.

“Don’t start with me or David will become my new favorite,” she teased and Jack huffed, pushing David to the couch while they waited for dinner.

It was pleasant and Jack was happy to see small smiles from David. He knew it wasn’t easy and it would take David time to feel okay again but it was a start and Jack would be there through it all.

They sat on the couch after, just Jack and David. He could feel the tension coming from David. Crutchie and Medda let them have time alone, knowing that David responded more to Jack than anyone else.

“Hey, if you want, we have a movie for Harry Potter. You remember TV, right?” He asked and it lit a spark in David’s eyes.

“I could see the books?” He asked and Jack nodded.

He got it set up, the remote in his hand as he sat back down, he hesitated playing it.

“Can I tell you something?” He asked and David looked to him, taking Jack’s hand when he noticed the seriousness. 

“Yes,” he said softly and Jack smiled.

“I know that you’re having a hard time right now but I kinda know how you feel. My parents died when I was little. I was really upset for awhile but I hope you know that you can find family anywhere if you open yourself up to it,” he explained and David squeezed his hand that time, realizing it was a small form of comfort.

“Medda is not your mother?” He asked and Jack chuckled, shaking his head.

“She didn’t start as my mother but she is now. I’m just saying I kind of understand. I know that you’re going to be upset but you don’t have to be alone,” he explained and David whispered a thank you. He didn’t smile but when he met Jack’s eyes he could tell that David appreciated his words, “I guess we both know how Harry feels,” Jack said finally and it did bring a smile to David’s face.

“I think Harry finds a very good family,” he said and Jack started the movie. 

The night ticked on and they lost track of time in the world of Harry Potter. 

Crutchie and Medda had busied themselves in another room and with how late it was, they decided to check on the two boys. Crutchie had pulled his camera out, thinking that maybe this could be a good end to his documentary. Home at last even if it wasn’t quite home yet. 

Jack and David had fallen asleep, David laid out on the couch with his head on Jack’s chest, Jack’s arms tight around him. The movie was playing in the background even though neither could keep their eyes open to watch it.

“I’ll wake them and send them to bed,” Crutchie whispered and started to move. Medda grabbed his arm and he turned to look at her. She smiled and shook her head.

“Turn the light off. Let them have this. They’ve been through a lot.”


	2. Dreams Do Come True

**Crutchie’s Documentary**

Crutchie spent a couple of grueling days going over the footage he’d spent the last few weeks filming. He felt like his topic had changed so many times but he felt settled on the exhibit and exposing the exhibit. He had plenty of footage including the button cam that he’d lied to the cops about when he said he didn’t keep a copy. 

He turned it in and sat in class, feeling so weird at how much had happened and nobody even knew. Sure, they’d heard suspicion on the news but nobody really knew. 

“Okay, welcome back to class! Thank you, everyone, for turning in your documentaries. I will go through them over the next couple of days and ask you know, the top documentary will be shown in class as your final day.”

Crutchie nudged the person next to him, nodding and pointing at himself. He didn’t mean to brag but there was no way someone else would beat him. Not with the shock factor his had, with the topic his was. 

Friday came and the documentary started and it wasn’t his. He watched it as attentive as he could but there was no way this got a higher grade than his. It was boring, it was poorly put together. He tried to pay attention but he was mad. 

After class ended, Crutchie stayed in his seat until everyone else had left.

“Mr. Morris, you’re still here,” his professor said, not looking up from her desk. Crutchie approached her, trying to swallow down his frustration before speaking.

“Look, I don’t mean any disrespect but-” She held her hand up to cut him off.

“Before you say what I know you’re going to say,” she started, looking up and smiling, “There was no way I could show that. Firstly, it was far longer than it was supposed to be. Understandably so, I didn’t dock points for that but class would have run over and nobody wanted that. Secondly, you blew everyone else out of the water. I wanted to encourage my class, not show them quality material that would take them down. Granted I think you got lucky in stumbling across and huge topic but your craftsmanship was exemplary.”

Crutchie let out a sigh of relief at the fact that she did like his documentary, even if he couldn’t show it off to the class which still disappointed him. 

“Besides, I think that they’ll see it soon enough. Given you accept the offer,” she started, turning her attention back down to the papers she had been working on before. She seemed to be smug about what she was implying.

“What?” He asked, confused about how anyone could see it if she didn’t show it in class. 

“I have a few colleagues who owed me a couple favors. I sent it out to them to watch and see how they liked it,” she said and it didn’t alleviate any of his confusion.

“I’m not following,” he said, feeling dumb because it seemed that she was painting the picture right in front of him.

“Oh, of course. I forgot to mention that they work for Netflix and Hulu. I haven’t heard from Hulu but if you were interested, Netflix would like to offer you payment in return for allowing them the rights to play it solely on their site,” she said, looking up and smiling at him. 

Crutchie couldn’t process it on the way home. He got a phone call from a Netflix representative that laid out the payment, what it would entail.

_ “Sir, we know it’s preemptive and you haven’t made up your mind yet. This isn’t meant to sway you or force your hand. This is just a big story and the type of thing we would love to stream and think our viewers would love to watch. Our team hasn’t been this excited about a piece, let alone a documentary, in years. They’ve already created a timeline and even an ad campaign. If you would like to see the mock trailer, I would be more than happy to send it to you. We just think that now is the best time to do it, strike while the iron is hot. With the news of one of the richest businessman in America being arrested and, well, the frenzy of news boy and 1800’s boy..” _

Jack and David were the first people to see the trailer.

“They put our romance in the trailer?” Jack asked, David sitting close and clinging to Jack for comfort. Television was still odd to him and seeing himself was bordering on disturbing for him.

“You saw how crazy fans were on Twitter about you two. Of course, they’re going to want to capitalize on that. Think of the views it will get!” 

What surprised Crutchie most was that it was Jack’s idea to call Netflix up and tell them to change the documentary.

“They can’t show my face or even say my name. This whole thing has blown out of proportion because they don’t know who I am. Chicks love a little mystery, right? If they give away my name and appearance in the trailer then the mystery is over. Sure, some might watch for the romance but not to know what I look like. Think of the views it will get!” He said mocking Crutchie’s words. 

Crutchie called the marketing team, on speakerphone per Jack’s request. 

They could make out a faint voice in the background of the call.

_ “That’s fucking genius.” _

It all happened so fast. The trailer came out and the internet was in a frenzy again

_ @rutprime _

_ @Netflix YOU MEAN TO TELL ME I HAVE TO WAIT TWO MORE WEEKS TO SEE NEWS BOY? _

_ @viralatin _

_ @Netflix you dirty dirty little slut  _

The day of the drop was finally there. None of them had the words to describe the feeling. Jack took his social media off private and made some for David. Their names were in the credits. Jack Kelly was about to be a household name and David with no last name already was with the news stories running. 

_ @panicdime _

_ you mean to tell me that ive been following news boy for the last week and i find out on netflix that i didnt even know news boy was newsboy _

_ @weibosnot _

_ can we all just take a moment to remember that so many people bullied jack kelly for saying news boy was ugly … and he is news boy _

**David’s Family**

With how wildly liked the documentary was and how in demand all three of them were, Netflix took the opportunity to offer Crutchie his own series of a documentary, topic to be determined by him on the exception that it incorporated Jack and David.

He had wanted to travel the world and growing up lower-income had ruined that dream and he thought now was the chance.

What better way to make a living than traveling and documenting things. He wanted to experience new cultures, meet and interview new people. David wanted to learn the world too so he said yes before Crutchie even finished his thought. 

They started in America, the first season having fifty episodes, much to Netflix’s dislike. They did an episode per state. Each one started with Jack and David doing whatever touristy stuff was associated with that state and then the rest of the episode was for Crutchies culture and experiences he wanted to share. 

After America was the world. David was eager to see new countries and learn, even though he still didn’t quite understand America but he enjoyed his time. 

After losing David once, they bought him a cell phone that he could barely use. He still got lost often. 

Crutchie’s favorite seen came when they were in Thailand. After spending all day listening to Jack joke about the Thai women and what their small fingers and hands could do, Jack still curled up on the couch of their hotel room with Jack.

Crutchie left his camera out and maybe it was a habit with the two of them but it was rolling without anyone realizing.

“Remember when you told me about your parents before Miss Medda?” David asked, his voice sounding like he was half asleep. Jack was rubbing his back, holding David in close. He didn’t think he’d get over the feeling of holding him. He hummed his acknowledgment, “You said that you found family again after you lost yours.”

Jack didn’t know where it was going but he nodded.

“Yeah, Miss Medda and Crutchie,” he started, wanting to say ‘and you’ but leaving it off for the moment. He didn’t know where the conversation was going or if it was appropriate to say then.

“I still miss mine but I think you’re my family too,” he said and Jack felt his heart squeeze. He leaned down to kiss the top of David’s head.

“You’re my family,” he responded and he felt David’s cheek move and he didn’t need to look down to know it was from a smile.

**Jack’s Art**

And Jack.

Jack got his dream, too. 

Jack had always been a painter. His Instagram before David mostly been his art but there weren’t many people who followed a barely known artist.

Once the documentary came out and he was spammed with followers, he started getting attention.

It had been a dream of his since childhood to make a living off of his art. Not that he needed it anymore with his pay cut of the Netflix show but now he could be proud and share it with the world.

He sold his art for way less than it was worth, only for the reason of being able to have people who genuinely liked it, have it.

Jack didn’t need to be in a museum with an exclusive piece to feel good about himself, the happiness others got was more than enough.

Well, Jack had two dreams, really. 

They were invited to The Oscar’s when Crutchie was nominated for the best documentary. They gave a ticket for the three of them and even Miss Medda was given a ticket. Crutchie had always been like a son to her and she was proud of him more than words could describe and David had practically been adopted by her when he first stepped foot in her house.

Crutchie won the best documentary and was called up on stage to give a speech. He dragged Jack and David with him.

“I feel the need to share this win with both of them. If it weren’t for Jack and his horrible idea of a good night and for David and his wild story and life, I wouldn’t be here. I am so thankful for both of them but also my teacher for believing in me and sharing this with the people who also got me here. Now, if they would like, I want to give them the chance for a few words,” he said, gesturing to Jack and David before pausing and leaning into the microphone again, “Oh, and professor, I’m still mad you didn’t show it as best documentary at the end of class. Thank you!”

David politely declined to say anything but Jack grinned, stepping up to the microphone and clearing his throat.

“I would like to make this short and sweet. This has been the best fucking experience in the entire fucking world. I’ve never been so fucking lucky to be given this fucking opportunity from my best fucking friend and the best fucking boyfriend ever. Fucking Netflix has given me the chance to live out my fucking dreams and thank fuck for that. I would also fucking like to thank Miss fucking Medda, my loving fucking mother and the best fucking woman in the world. Without her fucking support, I would be some fucking gutter rat. Now, in the conclusion of my fucking speech. If I don’t get a world fucking record for the most fucking ‘fuck’s in the fucking Oscars and make it into the Guinness fucking Book of World fucking records, then my fucking breath was fucking wasted. Thank you all, have a great night!” 

Jack turned to see David covering his mouth to hide his laughter and Crutchie’s pale and scared face. They walked back to their seats and Jack couldn’t tell which reaction was funnier. The people who were so shocked and offended, who glared as Jack walked by or the people who had tears in their eyes from laughing so hard. One person leaned into the aisle as Jack walked by to ask for a high five which he obliged.

The cameras had been following him and as he sat down, Medda reached out and smacked the back of his head on live television. 

Jack got word the next day that the editors only had a fifteen-minute interval between filming and airing to double-check for any bleeps needed or other things and Jack tested their abilities.

He was awarded a week later with a plaque stating he had achieved the world record for most curse words in any televised speech in history. It became his profile picture on all of his social media accounts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i will be posting some more stories soon and i have some big ones that have been planning for YEARS so stay tuned
> 
> (also to whoever opened this story not even a minute after it was posted, you the real og)

**Author's Note:**

> so that was my first javid story


End file.
